Max Barnard
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Max Barnard (1884-1978) was a self-taught primitive artist who worked in a variety of media, on a variety of materials. Max was a house painter by trade, painting many of the Victorian era homes in Chagrin during his youth.
He was interested in the Amish and many of his paintings feature Amish characters engaging in daily activities. While Max devoted the later years of his life to painting, he also concentrated his time on building birdhouses, doll furniture and weathervanes, and other interesting items. In addition to his paintings, he was known for his pen and ink drawings and caricatures.
Barnard was known for his keenly observant eye and an extraordinary memory for things seen and people known. His caricatures of the residents of Chagrin sketched later in life captured the essence of the personalities he knew 40 to 50 years earlier. His many works represent the people and the village that he loved.
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