Hardie Gramatky
Encyclopedia
Bernhard August "Hardie" Gramatky, Jr. (April 12, 1907 - April 29, 1979) was an American
painter, author, and illustrator. In a 2006 article in Watercolor Magazine, Andrew Wyeth
named him as one of America's 20 greatest watercolorists. He wrote and illustrated several children's books, most notably Little Toot
.
, the second of three sons born to Bernhard Gramatky and Blanche Gunner Gramatky. Ten years later, following the death of his father, his mother moved the family to the Wilmar
– South San Gabriel
area, a then semi-rural suburb a few miles east of Los Angeles
. Gramatky attended local schools in Wilmar, and then Alhambra High School in nearby Alhambra
. Displaying a precocious artistic talent, he began submitting his sketches to a "young folks section" published in the Los Angeles Times, and by the early 1920s had earned a reputation as the section's leading artist.
. Though he majored in English he continued to study art as well, but after two years at the university one of his professors advised him that the school's art department had no more to teach him, and so he returned to Southern California where, in 1928, he enrolled in Chouinard Art Institute
. Developing a deep interest in watercolor painting, he later said that during this period he produced an average of five small watercolors per day. By 1929, he had become a proficient watercolorist and was recognized as one of the true innovators in the development of California Style watercolor painting. These skills helped him to get a job that year as a senior animator at the Walt Disney Studios
, where he remained for the next six years.
that year. Ultimately, his work would be exhibited at numerous museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art
and New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art
. Examples of his work are part of the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Chicago Art Institute, and Frye Art Museum
in Seattle, Washington
, among others.
, published in 1939. It became a perennial best seller, spawning several sequels, and was animated by Disney as part of the feature anthology Melody Time
. During World War II, he worked in Hollywood producing training films for the United States Army Air Forces
.
After the war, Gramatky returned to the East Coast, settling in Westport, Connecticut
, where he would live for the rest of the life. He continued working as a commercial illustrator producing art for Fortune, Collier’s, Woman’s Day, True, American and Readers Digest. He also wrote and illustrated several sequels to the original Little Toot story. Gramatky died of cancer
on April 29, 1979. His last book, Little Toot and the Loch Ness Monster, was unfinished at the time of his death but was later completed by Dorothea Cooke Gramatky and published in 1989.
, New York Watercolor Club, American Watercolor Society, and the California Watercolor Society.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter, author, and illustrator. In a 2006 article in Watercolor Magazine, Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Newell Wyeth was a visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century....
named him as one of America's 20 greatest watercolorists. He wrote and illustrated several children's books, most notably Little Toot
Little Toot
Little Toot is a children's story written and illustrated by Hardie Gramatky in 1939. It tells the story of Little Toot, an anthropomorphic tugboat child, who thought that work was a joke, and preferred to play around making figure 8s, and other games, that irritate the other tugboats, who call him...
.
Early life
Hardie Gramatky was born in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, the second of three sons born to Bernhard Gramatky and Blanche Gunner Gramatky. Ten years later, following the death of his father, his mother moved the family to the Wilmar
Wilmar, California
Wilmar was the former name of a then-unincorporated district of the San Gabriel Valley, about eight miles east of the center of Los Angeles. Wilmar was combined with the unincorporated communities of Garvey and Potrero Heights to become the unincorporated community of South San Gabriel in the...
– South San Gabriel
South San Gabriel, California
South San Gabriel is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 8,070 at the 2010 census, up from 7,595 at the 2000 census.-Geography:South San Gabriel is located at ....
area, a then semi-rural suburb a few miles east of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Gramatky attended local schools in Wilmar, and then Alhambra High School in nearby Alhambra
Alhambra, California
Alhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2010 census, the population was 83,089, down from 85,804 at the 2000 census. The city's...
. Displaying a precocious artistic talent, he began submitting his sketches to a "young folks section" published in the Los Angeles Times, and by the early 1920s had earned a reputation as the section's leading artist.
Education
After high school Gramatky moved to Northern California to attend Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Though he majored in English he continued to study art as well, but after two years at the university one of his professors advised him that the school's art department had no more to teach him, and so he returned to Southern California where, in 1928, he enrolled in Chouinard Art Institute
Chouinard Art Institute
The Chouinard Art Institute was a professional art school founded in 1921 in Los Angeles, California, by Nelbert Murphy Chouinard .-Founder:...
. Developing a deep interest in watercolor painting, he later said that during this period he produced an average of five small watercolors per day. By 1929, he had become a proficient watercolorist and was recognized as one of the true innovators in the development of California Style watercolor painting. These skills helped him to get a job that year as a senior animator at the Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
, where he remained for the next six years.
Recognition as a painter
In the early 1930s, he became active in the California Watercolor Society, an organization founded in 1920. It was largely through his efforts that the young watercolorists of the California School were able to dominate the Society and establish it as an internationally recognized organization. In 1932, he married Dorothea Cooke, who had been his fellow student at Chouinard. In 1936, Gramatky moved to New York City. There, the Ferargil Gallery began exhibiting his watercolors and, in 1937, those of other members of the California School as well. Gramatky was also among those whose work was exhibited in a major show of California artists mounted at the Art Institute of ChicagoArt Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
that year. Ultimately, his work would be exhibited at numerous museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
and New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
. Examples of his work are part of the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Chicago Art Institute, and Frye Art Museum
Frye Art Museum
The Frye Art Museum is an art museum located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA . The museum emphasizes painting and sculpture from the nineteenth century to the present. Its holdings originate in the private collection of Charles and Emma Frye...
in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, among others.
Author and illustrator
By the 1940s, he was producing commercial art to be used for magazine illustrations and began writing and illustrating a series of children's books, including Hercules, Loopy, Creepers Jeep and Sparky. Gramatky's most successful book was his first, Little TootLittle Toot
Little Toot is a children's story written and illustrated by Hardie Gramatky in 1939. It tells the story of Little Toot, an anthropomorphic tugboat child, who thought that work was a joke, and preferred to play around making figure 8s, and other games, that irritate the other tugboats, who call him...
, published in 1939. It became a perennial best seller, spawning several sequels, and was animated by Disney as part of the feature anthology Melody Time
Melody Time
Melody Time is a 1948 animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released to theatres by RKO Radio Pictures on May 27, 1948. Made up of several sequences set to popular music and folk music, the film is, like Make Mine Music before it, the popular music version of Fantasia Melody Time is a 1948...
. During World War II, he worked in Hollywood producing training films for the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
.
After the war, Gramatky returned to the East Coast, settling in Westport, Connecticut
Westport, Connecticut
-Neighborhoods:* Saugatuck – around the Westport railroad station near the southwestern corner of the town – a built-up area with some restaurants, stores and offices....
, where he would live for the rest of the life. He continued working as a commercial illustrator producing art for Fortune, Collier’s, Woman’s Day, True, American and Readers Digest. He also wrote and illustrated several sequels to the original Little Toot story. Gramatky died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on April 29, 1979. His last book, Little Toot and the Loch Ness Monster, was unfinished at the time of his death but was later completed by Dorothea Cooke Gramatky and published in 1989.
Professional Organizations
Hardie Gramatky was a member of the National Academy of DesignNational Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
, New York Watercolor Club, American Watercolor Society, and the California Watercolor Society.