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Sloan's City
Seeing the City: Sloan's New York
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Urban genre painting is synomous when one thinks of American artist John Sloan. The common everyday life in the thriving energetic city leaps from his canvases as he provided a window looking at neighborhood life. |
In his early twenties he worked as a newspaper illustrator in Philadelphia. In 1904 he moved to New York City. Robert Henri was a strong influence on him.
American artist and art teacher Robert Henri believed in painting from life, not theory. He wanted his works to be as "as simple and sincere as is humanly possible."
Title: Spring Rain, 1912
Artist: John Sloan (American 1871-1951)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 20 ¼ x 26 inches
Permanent Collection: Delaware Art Museum,
Gift of the John Sloan Memorial Foundation, 1986 (1986-107)
Image Courtesy: Smart Museum of Art
The National Academy of Design rejected works by Sloan, along with William J. Glackens, George Luks for it's 1907 exhibition. Henri withdrew his works in protest. Out of this a group decided to exhibit together, echoing the Parisian Salon des Refuges. The only difference was the Eight, as they were known, had a successful exhibition. It was the Eight's only group show first exhibited at the Macbeth Gallery in New York City and then it traveled for about a year bringing attention to the group and their beliefs.
Everyday lower class New York City life intrigued Sloan and this was what he liked to paint. He loathed his work to be used for "socialist propaganda".
The Smart Museum of Art hosts Seeing the City: Sloan's New York looks at this early 20th Century realist artist.
Seeing the City
Sloan's New York
Smart Museum of Art:
May 22 – September 14, 2008