The Painter’s Eye

Featuring Let Us Give Thanks

by Clarence H. Carter

Clarence Carter grew up in Portsmouth with a love of the mighty Ohio River, the . Appalachian hills, the bustling steel mill and railroads of his hometown.

He always wanted to be an artist and, in addition to enjoying a long and successful career, Carter was the first Ohio artist to have a work purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Regardless of his travels, Portsmouth was important in Carter’s life, and he frequently returned to his home throughout his career. Carter is perhaps best remembered for his contribution to American Regionalist painting, a realist style of the 1930s and ’40s that championed the traditional values of the rural heritage that most Americans shared at that time.

Regionalism is characterized by strong draftsmanship, restrained paint handling and a lower-toned palette. Let Us Give Thanks, oil on canvas from 1943, shows a family at the start of a meal, likely a sum- mer Sunday afternoon. The empty place at the table invites us to join the group and celebrate this moment of peace. There is a sense that this meal is a respite from the worries of war and uncertainty.

The Southern Ohio Museum in Portsmouth has an extensive collection of Carter’s work and an amazing collection of artifacts from the ancient indigenous people of the Hopewell and Adena. It’s well worth a visit! cs