VISUAL ACTIVITYCity Activities Mural During the 1930s, artists—many of them employed by New Deal agencies—painted thousands of murals depicting the variety of American life. These murals often appeared in public buildings. The mural shown here, by Missouri-born artist Thomas Hart Benton, illustrates the seductive pleasures and the spirit found in American cities.READING THE IMAGE: What features of urban experience does Benton emphasize in this mural? What ideas and attitudes, if any, link the people shown here? CONNECTIONS: To what extent does the mural highlight activities distinct to U.S. cities, compared with urban life in Europe, Africa, or Asia?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of AXA Equitable, 2012 (2012.478a-j). © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY.