Richard Yarde facts for kids

A painting by Richard Yarde titled "Savoy"

Richard Yarde (1939–2011) was an American artist and professor. He was especially known for his amazing watercolor paintings.

About Richard Yarde

Richard Yarde's parents came to America from another country. His father was a machinist, who worked with machines, and his mother was a seamstress, who sewed clothes. Yarde said that he found inspiration in their work, noting that "There were patterns everywhere."

A big theme in his art was healing. He even used images from his own x-ray scans in his paintings. Yarde first worked with oil paintings. But in 1977, he switched to watercolors. He quickly became famous for his art. His paintings often explored themes like African-American history, his own family's story, and his personal health challenges.

Yarde also taught art at many colleges. These included Boston University, Wellesley College, Amherst College, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He was a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst from 1999 until 2011.

Richard Yarde's Artworks

Richard Yarde chose to work with watercolor, which can be a very tricky art material. He once said, "The watercolor either succeeds or it doesn't, just like surgery." Since he painted without sketching first, he had to take risks. He often made up his art as he went along, sometimes while listening to jazz music.

Many of Yarde's watercolor paintings were unusually large. Some were 10 by 10 feet or even bigger! This was surprising because watercolors are usually used for small, pretty pictures of landscapes or flowers. Yarde's huge paintings showed deep personal feelings. He used a material that is often seen as light and delicate to express powerful ideas. Yarde was also inspired by different cultures. This helped shape how he saw the world and how he created his art.

Famous Paintings

Here are some of Richard Yarde's well-known artworks:

• Ringshout is a painting about an old slave ceremony. In this ceremony, people would move in a circle, stomping, clapping, and chanting. This was believed to bring healing and change. Yarde's paintings often use grids, patterns, and self-portraits.
• Coming and Going No 1 is a huge watercolor mural. A mural is a large painting on a wall. In notes next to this painting, Yarde explained how jazz music influenced his work. He also talked about why he used a "modernist grid" in his art.
• Mojo Hand is Yarde's largest artwork. It shows an X-ray image of a female body floating on a dark blue background. Yarde said that his hands are painted around the figure to show the power of human touch and its healing abilities.
• Portrait of Inman Page This watercolor portrait was made in 1979. It is part of the Brown University collection. Inman Page was an important educator. Yarde created this painting for a festival honoring author Ralph Ellison, who was mentored by Page. The watercolor was given to Ellison, and an oil version of the portrait was placed in Brown's John Hay Library.
• John William Ward is a portrait of the president of Amherst College. This painting hangs in the Johnson Chapel at the college.