American painter and muralist Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, in 1889. Benton attended The Art Institute of Chicago in 1907 after he finished schooling at the Western Military Academy.

Benton was one of America's most popular artists during the decades leading up to World War II, and his murals were especially acclaimed. He gained artistic fame as a regionalist painter, depicting the people and culture of the American Midwest, in particular his native state of Missouri. While his subjects were primarily based in America's heartland, he lived in New York City for twenty years.

Benton's main contribution to 20th-century American art might be his emphasis on depicting ordinary people and common lore. His expressive realism stands out for its exaggerated curvilinear forms and shapes, and bold use of key colors. By shifting attention away from New York and towards the Midwest, Benton expanded both the scope of possible artistic subject matter, and the potential audience for American art.

In Benton’s Island Hay, well-muscled men brandish scythes like grim reapers—a testament to the strength and expectations of American men at the end of World War II.