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Early Life

Palmer C. Hayden was born Peyton Cole Hedgeman on January 15, 1890 in Widewater, Virginia. Palmer Hayden. Hayden, formerly Hedgeman, drew during his childhood, and was introduced into the arts by his older brother who drew as well. Despite his early interest in art, Hayden's initial ambition was to become a fiddle player, but several obstacles prevented this, two of which were his demure nature and the financial hardships of his family. In reflection years into his seniority, Hayden stated he still continued to regret not following his initial ambition, unwavered by his success as an artist. This conflict is reflected at times in his art; in particular, Midnight at the Crossroads is a personal painting that depicts the decision he was forced to make. [http://quod.lib.umich.edu/h/hart/x-308769/05d114679 Hayden's Midnight at the Crossroads. ]

As an adolescent, Hayden relocated to Washington, D.C. in order to find work, where he became a porter and an errand boy. The subject of his sketches shifted to objects and activities he witnessed daily, such as sailboats and fisherman. It was in Washington, D.C. where Hayden ultimately began to pursue an art career, and where he encountered an experience with explicit racism. Hayden had placed an ad in the local paper for an artist’s assistant, and was bewildered when he was rejected for being African-American upon arriving at the interview. Discouraged, Hayden decided to go into employment as a laborer for the Buffalo Bill Circus and then the Ringling Brothers Circus. He bounced from occupation to occupation with little commitment, then decided to enter the army's black company stationed in the Philippines. Hayden in the army. During his army service, Hayden was stripped of his birth name and was given the name Palmer Hayden instead by a commanding sergeant during World War I. The justification behind this abrupt decision is speculated but ultimately unknown.

After he was discharged from the army, he relocated to Greenwich Village, a neighborhood located in lower Manhattan within New York City. During the pursuit his slowly developing art career, he worked as a postal clerk, janitor, and a variety of other part-time jobs in order to provide for himself and his potential family. (Little is known regarding his personal life, including no knowledge of a possible wife and children.) This period of his life was disheartening, but was justified when Hayden eventually became a prolific Harlem artist of his era.

Artistic Beginnings

Hayden’s work was first present at the Society of Independent Artists in 1925 and 1926, and his premier solo show was in April 1926 at the Civic Club. Society of Independent Artists One of his most prolific works came in 1937, when Hayden created the iconic and narrative The Janitor Who Paints. This painting was thought by critics to be a personal commentary on Hayden's sentiments regarding the assorted, meagerly paid early jobs he had to take in order to survive that he was repeatedly criticized for in the press. Despite his success and popularity not only in America, but also in Europe, Hayden was still regarded by some as an lowly janitor who had "little to no artistic training". Undeterred by artistic authorities who saw him "as only a Negro", he went on to receive the first prize from the Harmon Foundation in fine arts and was held in high esteem for painting without requiring recognition in forms of monetary compensation.

Hayden eventually decided to pursue a formal educated, and studied at the Cooper Union in New York City, practicing independent studies at Boothbay Art Colony in Maine as well. In his later adult life, he won a sum of money and a gold medal for his painting Schooners. A New York Times headline crudely praised him for being a Negro worker that "washes windows to have time to paint", emphasizing his race. Indeed, racially involved themes were prominent concepts in Hayden's work, thus The Harmon Foundation was making a bold and blatant social statement by choosing art created by a poor black man for an award. The award is additionally credited for launching his career as an artist because of how prestigious of an accomplishment it was for a simple janitor.

Following his achievement with The Harmon Foundation, Hayden combined accumulated funds as well as his trophy money to travel to Paris, France, where he found further inspiration for his art. The next five years that were spent in Paris were productive, and Hayden captured not only Parisian society, but also the integration of African-Europeans into the upscale environment. Hayden's expressive and arguably primitive style is particularly evident In Nous Quatre A Paris, which portrays four black men in a cafe, drawn with stereotypically large lips and cartoonish facial features to emphasize black features that were shunned and often seen as revolting as a result of the discourse from white beauty. MET museum on Nous Quatre a Paris.

Racial Commentary and Stylistics

Upon his return to the United States, Hayden continued with oil and watercolor paintings, but also dabbled in pen and ink drawings. His artwork is most notorious for depicting African-American life during the Harlem Renaissance, as well as racial conflicts/obstacles, perceptions of racism, and African folklore. His paintings have been described by some critics as primitive and demeaning for depicting xenophobic stereotypes of black people by exaggerating bosoms, lips, and nostrils and portraying the mass consumption of watermelon and other foods associated with black racism. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon_stereotype Watermelon and racism. ] Other art historians find some of the earliest indications of black empowerment in Hayden's work for his ownership and embracement of defining stereotypes that he seems to poke fun at through their exaggerated impact. A great number of his paintings following his years in Paris were associated with the Harlem Renaissance and black urban life in the city. However, while depictions of African-American life are what he is most remembered for, they are not his sole forte; Hayden's career began with landscape portrayal and this continued simultaneously alongside his racially influenced art. A particular interest of his was seascapes and life in bustling harbors, as it had been in his adolescence. Additionally, he offered a political voice in his paintings, and in 1935, he depicted The Execution of NIRA, which referenced the Supreme Court's refusal of the National Industrial Relations Act on the grounds of unconstitutionality. The Execution of NIRA His comfort in the artistic world became more evident as his work became more out-spoken and varied.

The Aged Hayden

In his elder years, Hayden continued to be active with his art, regularly being selected for prestigious awards and traveling between Paris and the United States to fuel his inspiration. Racism remained a relevant topic in his life and art, leading him to publicly speak out against racist policies hindering the African-American and Hispanic communities until his death on February 18, 1973.

Parisaayoubi (talk) 06:33, 13 May 2016 (UTC)