Earle Wilton Richardson
Encyclopedia
Earle Wilton Richardson, (1912–1935) was an African American
artist made famous mainly for an oil painting of his dating from 1934 titled Employment of Negroes in Agriculture.
This now iconic picture (size 48 x 32 inches) depicts two male and one female black cotton workers in an unidentified Southern state loading cotton into bales. Like many other artworks at the time, the painting was commissioned and financed under the New Deal
. Richardson committed suicide the following year. He was born and lived in New York City
, NY.
"Richardson and fellow artist Malvin Gray Johnson
planned to say more about the history and promise of black people in their mural series Negro Achievement, slated to be installed in the New York Public Library
’s 135th Street Branch, but neither young man lived long enough to complete the project."
"After Johnson's sudden illness and death in November 1934, Richardson continued to work on their mural project. But within a year he too was dead; ill with fever and heart-broken over the death of Johnson, who had been his lover, Richardson leapt from his fourth-floor apartment window and died of his injuries in December 1935." (Anreus et al., p. 136)
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
artist made famous mainly for an oil painting of his dating from 1934 titled Employment of Negroes in Agriculture.
This now iconic picture (size 48 x 32 inches) depicts two male and one female black cotton workers in an unidentified Southern state loading cotton into bales. Like many other artworks at the time, the painting was commissioned and financed under the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
. Richardson committed suicide the following year. He was born and lived in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, NY.
"Richardson and fellow artist Malvin Gray Johnson
Malvin Gray Johnson
Malvin Gray Johnson was an African american painter, born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. His family moved to New York, where he studied art at the National Academy of Design...
planned to say more about the history and promise of black people in their mural series Negro Achievement, slated to be installed in the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
’s 135th Street Branch, but neither young man lived long enough to complete the project."
"After Johnson's sudden illness and death in November 1934, Richardson continued to work on their mural project. But within a year he too was dead; ill with fever and heart-broken over the death of Johnson, who had been his lover, Richardson leapt from his fourth-floor apartment window and died of his injuries in December 1935." (Anreus et al., p. 136)
Works
- Profile of a Negro Girl, 1932
- Benjamin Banneker, 1934
- Columbus Soldiers—Estavanico, 1934
- Employment of Negroes in Agriculture, 1934