John Farrar (American, 1928 - 1972)

Signed: John Farrar (Lower, Left)

" Pardner ", 1943

Titled Above Signature (Lower, Left)

Oil on Canvas

26 1/8" x 32 1/8"

Housed in a 2 1/2" period ornamented Newcomb-Macklin frame in toned goldleaf.

Overall Size: 30 1/2" x 36 5/8"

Depth: 2 1/4"

A painting that appears to be of Farrar's family's dog.

This piece is in overall very good condition. A nice presentation, ready to be hung and enjoyed.

About the Artist:

As a teenager in the 1940s, Farrar received much local acclaim in the Washington D.C. art Scene. Words like “Child Prodigy”, “Brilliant” and “Gifted” were used to describe him in the local newspaper. He had a great bout of early success which included developing patrons among Washington DC’s art elite but this was short lived as he was afflicted with schizophrenia and alcoholism as an adult causing him to spend much of his life in mental institutions.

In 1942, Farrar won the Washington Times-Herald's outdoor art fair. This painting was executed the following year when he was 15 (1943). That same year he won the top prize at Atlanta University’s third annual “ Exhibition of Paintings, Sculpture and Prints by Negro Artists ” with a piece titled “ Queenie ”. Approximately one hundred and fifty works of art were included in the show, representing the best works of more than seventy-five contemporary African American artists. This show included works by Romare Bearden, who was awarded Honorable Mention for his painting “ The Two Genrerations ”. Also included among the exhibitors - Charles H. Alston, Allen Rohen Crite, Aaron Douglas, Fredrick Flemister, Sargant Johnson, Horace Pippin, Jacob Lawrence, Marjorie Wheeler Brown, Hughie Lee Smith, Lois Mailou Jones, James A. Porter, Obleton Haris, Robert N. Gardner, Ernest Crichlow, Henry Bannarn and William Edmonson.

Understanding the Painting

Painted in 1943, when John Farrar was only fifteen years old, "Pardner" reveals the remarkable confidence and sensitivity that earned the young Washington, D.C. artist recognition as a prodigy. The dog, believed to have belonged to Farrar’s family, is shown resting comfortably in a deep green armchair. Its relaxed posture and watchful sideways glance suggest the close observation of a familiar companion rather than the generalized treatment of a conventional animal portrait.

The single discarded shoe introduces a human presence without depicting its owner. It provides scale, lends the composition an appealing note of humor, and quietly evokes the everyday domestic world shared by the dog and the Farrar family. Against the chair’s rich emerald upholstery, the animal’s predominantly white coat becomes luminous, while touches of black, brown, rose, and pale blue give its body substance and individuality.