Born
January 15, 1890
Died
February 18, 1973
Country
United States of America
Gifted at both oils and watercolors, Palmer Hayden became a well-known Harlem artist and folklorist. Most of his early paintings were landscapes. In 1926, the Harmon Foundation awarded first prize to a Maine seascape of Hayden’s creation.
With the backing of a wealthy art patron, Hayden moved to Paris in 1927 and studied there for the next five years.
It was a richly productive period for the painter, as evidenced by the stack of sketchbooks he brought home in 1932 that vividly capture Parisian society. Hayden went to work that year for the U.S. Treasury Art Project and the Depression-era government-funded Works Progress Administration (WPA). His work began to concern itself with scenes of daily life in Harlem.
Tapping memories of his childhood in Wide Water, Virginia, Hayden also brought to life the manners and mores of small-town residents. His most striking product from this period is the John Henry series. These 12 paintings, which took the painter more than a decade to complete, depict the life of the indomitable “steel-drivin’ man,” a Black man who helped lay railroad ties and tracks across the South.
Hayden’s work won kudos for its artistic merit, but some critics accused it of perpetuating racial stereotypes. His portrayal of African Americans with exaggerated features and minstrel-style grins may have been a product of the times, but they remain highly controversial details today.
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Like Aaron Douglas, Hayden used various African art styles in his paintings. |
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Alain Locke praised Hayden for his modernist approach. |
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In common with Augusta Savage, he studied at Cooper Union art school. |
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Hayden won a Harmon Foundation competition in 1933. |
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“Midsummer Night in Harlem”—painting by Palmer Hayden.
“Died Wid His Hammer in His Hands”—painting by Palmer Hayden. Smithsonian American Art Museum.
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