After the Tornado
Artist
John Steuart Curry
(1897-1946)
CultureAmerican
Date1930
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 30 x 36 1/4 in. (76.2 x 92.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 36 3/4 x 43 in. (93.3 x 109.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 36 3/4 x 43 in. (93.3 x 109.2 cm)
InscribedSigned bottom left.
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.2796
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, 310, ROW 84
Label TextJohn Steuart Curry American, 1897–1946 After the Tornado, 1930 Oil on canvas In the middle of the wreckage left by a violent tornado, a smiling doll remains mysteriously undisturbed on a floral armchair. For the family emerging from their storm cellar on the right, will this toy offer as sense of hope, or perhaps come as cruel irony? Like the works of Thomas Hart Benton and Norman Rockwell, the paintings of John Steuart Curry tell stories about the lives of everyday Americans. Though Curry draws on specific memories from his childhood in Kansas, his narratives of trial and triumph resonated across the nation amid the challenges of the Great Depression. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2796 Exhibition History"Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. "American Treasures at the Willoughby-Baylor House," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, January 2 - December 1, 2013.
