Name James Daugherty | Role Painter | |
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Died February 21, 1974, Weston, Connecticut, United States Education Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design People also search for Benjamin Elkin, John Bakeless, John Newbery, Randolph Caldecott Books Andy and the Lion, Daniel Boone, The landing of the Pilgri, Of Courage Undaunted, Gillespie and the Guards | ||
James Henry Daugherty (June 1, 1889 Asheville, North Carolina – February 21, 1974 Boston, Massachusetts) was an American modernist painter, muralist, children's book author, and illustrator.
Life
He lived in Indiana, Ohio, and at the age of 9 he moved to Washington, D.C., where he studied at the Corcoran School of Art. Later, he went to London and studied under Frank Brangwyn. During World War I, he was commissioned to produce propaganda posters for various US Government agencies, including the United States Shipping Board.
Daugherty wrote and illustrated several children's books during his career, and his book Daniel Boone won the Newbery Medal. His book with Benjamin Elkin, Gillespie and the Guards, won the Caldecott Honor in 1957. He was also the author of Walt Whitman's America Selections and Drawings by James Daugherty.
Four huge murals by James Daugherty, entitled The Spirit of Pageantry—Africa, The Spirit of Drama—Europe, The Spirit of Cinema—America, and The Spirit of Fantasy—Asia are located in the State Theatre (Cleveland, Ohio) which is part of the beautiful Playhouse Square theater district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
In September 2006, controversy erupted at Hamilton Avenue School, an elementary school in Greenwich, Connecticut, over Daugherty's depiction of Bunker Hill hero and Connecticut native Israel Putnam in a mural commissioned by Public Works of Art Project for the town hall, and installed in the school in 1935. The mural was restored, and revealed a scene, filled with violent and richly-colored imagery, including snarling animals, tomahawk-wielding American Indians, and a half-naked General Putnam strapped to a burning stake. School officials objected to the violent imagery, and ordered the mural removed to the Greenwich Public Library.
