The Art of Reading: “The Trackers” in Southern/Modern

“The Trackers” is Charles Frazier’s first book set outside the American South. However, the story takes place in 1937, a year shared with many of the artworks in our Southern/Modern exhibition, with multiple connections that can be made between the book and the exhibition.

The story follows a young painter from Virginia who receives a federal commission to create a mural for a small-town post office in Wyoming. Similar to WPA assignments, his mural is to be inspirational and uplifting in light of the lingering depression.

Valentine Welch, the painter and main character, captures the mood of the country and the difficult living conditions of some of its citizens at that time. At the same time, he finds adventure and intrigue as he travels across the country in search of a missing painting.