Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom Ag in Art Cotton Picking, Oscar E. Berninghaus, 1929 Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874-1952) was a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists. Most of his paintings were scenes of the American Southwest. Berninghaus was self-taught. This painting is of a cotton field in the Texas Panhandle. Describe the sky. Can you determine the time o year from the color of the sky? Find the horizontal lines in the painting. Find the geometric shapes. What is the predominant color? Where is the center of interest? What is the mood of the painting? What objects are in the distance? How can you tell? Which objects are closer? How can you tell? Compare this painting with another painting of How is this historic scene different from a scene in a modern West Texas cotton field. P.A.S.S. for these activities Grade 1: Visual Arts - 1.2,3; 2.1,3 Grade 2: Visual Arts - 1.2,3; 2.1,3 Grade 3: Visual Arts - 1.2,3; 2.1,3 Grade 4: Visual Arts - 2.1,2 Grade 5: Visual Arts - 2.1,4 Related lesson online: Cotton Pickin' Before and After the Civil War Back to Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom Back to Ag in Art Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is a program of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, 4-H Youth Development, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.