Tornado over Kansas is a 1929 oil-on-canvas painting by the American Regionalist painter John Steuart Curry. It depicts a dramatic scene in which a family races for shelter as a tornado approaches their farm, and has compositional connections to Curry's earlier 1928 painting Baptism in Kansas. The artist was influenced by Baroque art and photographs of tornadoes. He developed a fear of natural disasters and a reverence towards God during his childhood, both of which seem apparent in the painting. Following its 1930 debut, the painting was considered a notable Regionalist work, but native Kansans disliked the choice of subject matter. Although the painting won awards and was lauded by some, others criticized Curry's amateur style of painting. It is among several of Curry's works depicting tornadoes, including a set of 1932 lithographs. Tornado over Kansas has been widely reproduced in publications including Time and Life magazines, and is now among Curry's best-known works.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_over_Kansas

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1910:

Aviator Eugene Burton Ely performed the first takeoff from a ship, flying from a makeshift deck on USS Birmingham in Hampton Roads, Virginia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Burton_Ely

1941:

Second World War: After suffering torpedo damage the previous day, the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sank as she was being towed to Gibraltar for repairs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ark_Royal_%2891%29

1965:

Vietnam War: The United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam engaged at the Battle of Ia Drang. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ia_Drang

1975:

With the signing of the Madrid Accords, Spain agreed to withdraw its presence from the territory of Spanish Sahara. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Accords

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

pandect: 1. (Ancient Rome, law, historical) Usually in the plural form Pandects: a compendium or digest of writings on Roman law divided in 50 books, compiled in the 6th century C.E. by order of the Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I (c. 482–565). 2. (by extension, rare) Also in the plural form pandects: a comprehensive collection of laws; specifically, the whole body of law of a country; a legal code. 3. (by extension, also figuratively) A treatise or similar work that is comprehensive as to a particular topic; specifically (Christianity) a manuscript of the entire Bible. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pandect

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The only alternative to coexistence is codestruction.   --Jawaharlal Nehru https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru