Palmer Hayden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Palmer Hayden was an American painter who depicted African American life. He painted in both oils and watercolors, and was a prolific artist of his era.

[edit] Early life

Born on November 9, 1890, Hayden’s original name was Peyton Hedgeman. He was given the name Palmer Hayden by his commanding sergeant during World War I. He grew up in the town of Wide Water, Virginia, and was a so-called self trained artist. [1] Hayden was one of the first in America to depict African subjects in his paintings.

As a young man, Hayden studied at the Cooper Union in New York City and also practiced independent studies at Boothbay Art Colony in Maine. [2] He created one of his first famous pieces in 1926: a still life called Fetiche et Fleurs, which won the esteemed Harmon Foundation’s Gold Award. After receiving this award, supportive patrons granted Hayden money to study in France. [3]

[edit] Art

Much of Hayden's influences came from the environment around him. He enjoyed painting landscapes, and used his time in Paris for inspiration. Over his next five years in Paris, Hayden was very productive, trying to capture elements of Parisian society. On his return to America, Hayden began working for the United States government. He worked for the U.S. Treasury Art Project as well as the Depression-era government-funded Works Progress Administration. [4]

Much of Hayden’s work after Paris focused on the African American experience. He tried to capture both rural life in the South, as well as urban backgrounds in New York City. [5]Many of these urban paintings were centered in Harlem.

Hayden continued to make contributions to the artistic community throughout his whole life until his death on February 18, 1973. gallery.com/hayart.html