John Stueart Curry (not mispelled) (1897-1946) - one of his works: The Bathers, and a self-portrait

Biography:
Born in 1897, John Steuart Curry grew up on a farm in Kansas. From 1919 to 1926 he was employed as a magazine illustrator. He then spent a year in Europe before arriving in New York to encounter his mentor, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. When he began painting, Curry found his subjects from his mid-western roots, his most famous works being Baptism in Kansas and Hogs Killing a Rattlesnake. In 1930’s, Curry became a leading figure of the Regionalism movement and was commissioned to produce several murals, the most notable of which were located in Topeka, Kansas.

from: http://wwar.com/masters/c/curry-john_steuart.html

see also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steuart_Curry