John Steuart Curry

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Curry, John Steuart (1897–1946). American painter. He was born on a farm near Dunavant, Kansas, and never forgot his Midwestern roots. After studying at the Kansas City Art Institute, 1916, and the Art Institute of Chicago, 1916–18, he worked as an illustrator for pulp magazines from 1919 to 1926, then spent a year in Europe before settling in New York, where he was encouraged and supported by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. He believed that art should grow out of everyday life and be motivated by affection, and his subjects were taken from the Midwest he loved. Two of his most famous works are Baptism in Kansas (Whitney Museum, New York, 1928) and Hogs Killing a Rattlesnake (Art Institute of Chicago, 1930); they show his anecdotal, rather melodramatic style (he often depicted the violence of nature)—sometimes weak in draughtsmanship, but always vigorous and sincere. In the 1930s Curry was recognized—along with Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood—as one of the leading exponents of Regionalism, and he was given commissions for several large murals; the best known—generally regarded as his masterpieces, even though the scheme was never finished—are in the state capitol in Topeka, Kansas (1938–40), where the subjects include the activities of John Brown, the famous campaigner against slavery. In 1936 Curry was appointed artist-in-residence by the College of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin, one of the first such posts to be created in the country. He held the position for the rest of his life.

Curry, John Steuart (b nr. Dunavant, Kan., 14 Nov. 1897; d Madison, Wis., 29 Aug. 1946). American painter. From 1919 to 1926 he worked as an illustrator for pulp magazines, then spent a year in Europe, before settling in New York, where he was encouraged and supported by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. He believed that art should grow out of everyday life and be motivated by affection, and his subjects were taken from the Midwest he loved (he was born on a farm in Kansas and never forgot his roots). Two of his most famous works are Baptism in Kansas (1928, Whitney Mus., New York) and Hogs Killing a Rattlesnake (1930, Art Inst. of Chicago); they show his anecdotal, rather melodramatic style (he often depicted the violence of nature)—sometimes weak in draughtsmanship, but always vigorous and sincere. In the 1930s Curry was recognized—along with Benton and Wood—as one of the leading exponents of Regionalism, and he was given commissions for several large murals; the best known—generally regarded as his masterpieces, even though the scheme was never completed—are in the state capitol in Topeka, Kansas (1938–40); the subjects include the activities of John Brown, the famous campaigner against slavery.

Curry, John Steuart (1897–1946). American painter. He was born on a farm in Kansas, and never forgot his Midwestern roots. From 1919 to 1926 he worked as an illustrator for pulp magazines, then spent a year in Europe, before settling in New York, where he was encouraged and supported by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. He believed that art should grow out of everyday life and be motivated by affection, and his subjects were taken from the Midwest he loved. Two of his most famous works are Baptism in Kansas (1928, Whitney Mus., New York) and Hogs Killing a Rattlesnake (1930, Art Inst. of Chicago); they show his anecdotal, rather melodramatic style (he often depicted the violence of nature)—sometimes weak in draughtsmanship, but always vigorous and sincere. In the 1930s Curry was recognized—along with Benton and Grant Wood—as one of the leading exponents of Regionalism, and he was given commissions for several large murals; the best known—generally regarded as his masterpieces, even though the scheme was never completed—are in the state capitol in Topeka, Kansas (1938–40); the subjects include the activities of John Brown, the famous campaigner against slavery.

John Steuart Curry 1897–1946, American painter, b. Dunavant, Jefferson co., Kans. He spent his youth on his father's farm. In 1916 he entered the Kansas City Art Institute and later studied in Chicago and New York and in Paris. His early paintings of Kansas life, such as Baptism in Kansas, aroused interest by their simple and authentic character. He often chose typically American subject matter, from rural life to circus scenes, which he depicted with a dramatic flair. In addition to his oil paintings he is well known for his murals, such as those in the Dept. of Justice Building in Washington, D.C., and the statehouse in Topeka, Kans.

Bibliography: See L. E. Schmeckebier, John Steuart Curry's Pageant of America (1943).