Heywood Hardy (1843 - 1933) began his career as an animal artist in Keynsham. He initially failed and decided to join 7th Somerset Volunteers for a brief period. At the age of 21, he went to Paris and joined the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and studied with Pielse, the battle painter. He then visited Antwerp and later returned to England. A painter of genre, hunting and equestrian scenes often set in the 18th century, as well as a distinguished portraitist, he was the youngest son of James Hardy Snr. who was also an artist. In 1870, he decided to settle in London where he shared a studio with Riviere Briton. He was very successful in his career and soon he was elected a member of several societies, including the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and the Royal Society of Painters and Etchers.
He also worked as an illustrator and contributed to The Graphic Magazine and The Illustrated London News. Hardy was an Associate of the Royal Watercolor Society. Celebrated for his insightful portrayal of animals, the artist was commissioned by several dignified patrons, including the Marquis of Zetland, Colonel Wyndham Murray, and the Renishaw’s Sitwells. In 1909, he moved to West Sussex, and in 1926 at the age of 83, he embarked upon a unique phase in his career, working on biblical scenes that were portraying Jesus walking in Sussex. This was a very controversial project because the scenes portrayed Christ surrounded by recognizable present-day village dignitaries.
