Charley Harper

Charley Harper was born August 4th, 1922 and died on June 10, 2007. He spent his adult life in Cincinnati and is considered an American Modernist artist. His artwork is made up of highly stylized wildlife prints, posters and book illustrations.

Charley Harper had a unique way of looking at nature. His prints of birds, especially cardinals reveal simple geometric shapes.

He was a conservationist as well as an artist. Harper’s wildlife also showed his sense of humor. He was an American artist who grew up on a West Virginia farm and developed an early love of animals. Below you can see a video of some of Harper's cardinals. You can also introduce him to your students while the video is playing. He graduated from the Cincinnati Art Academy and taught there for many years. I think his artwork is flat, hard-edged, and simple, which is why young students react to the playfulness in his artwork. Below are some examples done by my KDG. students.