John Wesley Hardrick facts for kids

John Wesley Hardrick (born September 21, 1891 – died October 18, 1968) was an American artist. He was known for painting beautiful landscapes, still life pictures, and portraits of people.

Early Life and Family History

John Wesley Hardrick's family had a tough start. His grandfather, Shephard Hardrick, was a farmer in Kentucky. In 1871, he had to move his family to Indianapolis because of a group called The Night Riders, who caused problems for Black families.

John's parents were Shephard Hardrick, Jr., and Georgia Etta West. They got married in 1888 and lived in Indianapolis, Indiana. John showed a talent for art very early. When he was just eight years old, he learned to paint with watercolors all by himself.

As a teenager, he studied art with a teacher named Otto Stark at Manual High School. He even won several awards for his drawings at the Indiana State Fair while still in high school. When he was nineteen, he entered 53 paintings and drawings and won eight awards, including many first prizes! This made him quite famous locally.

In October 1910, John started getting a formal art education at the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. He studied there with William Forsyth until 1918. To pay for his art school, John worked at the Indianapolis Stove Foundry and sold newspapers.

In 1914, he married Georgia Anna Howard. They had four children: Rowena, Raphael, Georgia, and Rachel.

Hardrick's Art Career

By 1917, John Hardrick was well-known in his area. He and another artist, William Edouard Scott, were featured in a big art show called the Tenth Annual Exhibition of Works by Indiana Artists at the Herron School of Art. Both artists received great reviews.

In 1924, John shared an art studio with another artist named Hale Woodruff on Indiana Avenue. Even though he was a talented artist, John often had to work other jobs to support his family. By 1925, he was helping with his family's trucking business and had started a carpet cleaning business. But he always made time to paint.

In 1927, John and Hale Woodruff showed their art at the Art Institute of Chicago. That same year, John received a special award: a $100 prize and a bronze medal from the Harmon Foundation. This foundation gave awards to successful African-American artists. The award was given to him by the mayor of Indianapolis. This led to people raising money to buy one of his most famous paintings, Little Brown Girl.

The Great Depression started around this time, making things hard for many people, including artists. But John kept painting and showing his work. In 1933, he joined a government program called the Public Works of Art Project, which helped artists during the Depression.

In 1934, he was asked by the WPA to paint a mural for Crispus Attucks High School. The mural was called Workers and showed three African-American foundry workers pouring hot metal. John knew about this kind of work because he had worked in a foundry himself. However, the school principal decided not to put up the mural. He was worried that showing laborers might make students feel less hopeful about their futures.

By 1940, John's health was not good, and he couldn't work in the family business anymore. He started driving a taxi. He would often sell his paintings right out of his car trunk! Sometimes, if he saw someone interesting while driving, he would ask if he could paint their portrait. If they agreed, he would drive them to his studio and finish the portrait in just a few hours.

In 1941, his wife Georgia passed away. John moved back to his parents' house with three of his children and used the attic as his art studio. Later, in 1946, friends offered him their basement as a studio and home, which he accepted. He continued to paint until he became too sick with Parkinson's disease. When he died in 1968, he was known as a nationally recognized artist, even though he lived his whole life in Indianapolis.

Hardrick's Exhibitions and Works

John Wesley Hardrick's first art show was in 1904 when he was only 13 years old. He showed his work at the Negro Business League convention and also at the Indiana State Fair.

His first big exhibition was at Allen Chapel, A.M.E. Church in 1914. In 1928, he also painted a mural at the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Indianapolis. It was called "Christ and the Samaritan Woman at the Well."

Hardrick's art was shown in many important places:

• In 1917, at the 10th Annual Exhibition of Works by Indiana Artists.
• In 1927, at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he won a Bronze Award from the Harmon Foundation for his painting, Portrait of a Young Girl.
• From 1928, he received grants from the Harmon Foundation for five years.
• In 1929, his art was shown in San Diego, California, and at the Smithsonian Institution.
• In 1933, he won a blue ribbon at the Indiana State Fair for his portrait Mammy.
• His work was also displayed at the Hoosier Salon in Chicago, Illinois, in 1929, 1931, and 1934.
• From July to September 1940, his work was part of a special show called Exhibition of the Art of the American Negro (1851–1940) in Chicago.

Today, some of Hardrick's paintings are kept at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. These include:

• Little Brown Girl, painted in 1927. This painting was bought by African-American citizens of Indianapolis and given to the museum.
• Winter Landscape, painted in 1945.
• Untitled Landscape.

The Indiana State Museum also owns some of Hardrick's art.

Some of Hardrick's works are now lost. One example is Lady X. In 1933, the Harmon Foundation sent it back to him by train, but John couldn't afford to pay the shipping fees to get it. So, the painting was never picked up, and no one knows where it is today.

Remembering John Wesley Hardrick

John Wesley Hardrick is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.

A building on the campus of Indianapolis University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) is also named after this talented artist, honoring his contributions to art.

Important Dates in Hardrick's Life