Aaron Pyle (1903-1972)
Pyle studied art in Seattle and was also a student of Thomas Hart Benton, but he spent most of his life in Chappell, Nebraska. Over the years he somewhat adopted Benton’s rhythmic Regionalist style, yet he tended to portray the realities of rural life rather than any idealized notions about it. In the Nebraska tradition, many artists also had a “day job” as a farmer. Benton famously said about him that he lived continually with most of the subjects he painted and if he (Benton) was considered the painter of Missouri then Pyle is surely the painter of Nebraska. Pyle’s western landscapes were frequent subjects for the Omaha World-Herald Sunday Magazine. The Museum of Nebraska has a substantial collection of Pyle’s paintings and lithographs.
