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Oklahoma Agriculture in the Classroom

Classroom Resources



Agriculture in Art

Oscar E. Berninghaus

Cotton Picking Cotton Picking, 1929

Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874-1952) was a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists. Most of his paintings were scenes of the American Southwest. Berninghaus was self-taught. This painting is of a cotton field in the Texas Panhandle.

Discussion and Activities
  • Describe the sky. Can you determine the time o year from the color of the sky?
  • Find the horizontal lines in the painting.
  • Find the geometric shapes.
  • What is the predominant color?
  • Where is the center of interest?
  • What is the mood of the painting?
  • What objects are in the distance? How can you tell?
  • Which objects are closer? How can you tell?
  • Compare this painting with another painting of
  • How is this historic scene different from a scene in a modern West Texas cotton field?
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