Good Humanities 211 Essay Example

The painting is a creation of George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879) and is renowned today as one of the classic artists of the American West. His paintings rank among one of the national treasures of the USA. Bingham today can lay claim to being the first great American from the ‘West’. He is best known for his genre depicting scenes of daily life to what was then the American frontier. During his career of 45 years starting in 1834, he was singled out as the ‘Missouri artist’ and he could be considered the state’s first artist. His artistic talent was highly considered since he was essentially self-taught, and self is supporting since he was without artistic support and connections. ‘The County Election’ was painted in 1851-1852 in what was known as Bingham’s finest decade which ran from 1845-1855. The painting is an ideal example of realism since it depicts the election of a county representative. There is distinct imagery of an individual casting his vote in the painting, while a crowd of individuals debate and talk.
In the background is depicted an individual on a horse bucking wildly. This painting relates to Humanities 211 since it is a representation of Western Tradition. Democracy is clearly demonstrated as the painting shows a scene of the public choosing their county leader or leaders. What appears to be a rodeo in the painting is also shown in the background. The rodeo is a clear tradition of the old West still being practiced today. The painting relation with Humanities 211 is the aspect in which the two are based on, in that; both are based on the traditional painting theory. The painting is a master class that depicts a real life scenario that brings humans together.