Ashcan School

1891-1918

Characteristics

• Realism- Shows how things are not how they “should be”

• Gritty urban scenes that find beauty in drab and ugly aspects of life

• Shows the need for social reform

• Captures the spontaneous moments of everyday life

“The Eight”

• Robert Henri • George Luks • John Sloan • Everett Shinn • George Bellows • Arthur B. Davis • Ernest Lawson • Maurice Prendergast

Usually paintings of …

• Crowds

• Slums

• Clogged streets

• Ragged children

• Sports events

• Clowns

• Sunny afternoons

Robert Henri

June 18, 1865 – July 19, 1925

Snow in the City

• Shows realism, displays what the streets of New York really look like.

• Shows the beauty in a gritty urban scene.

• Exhibits everyday moments in New York.

Chico

• Realism- shows what urban people looked like at the time

• Finds beauty in a ragged clothed child

• Demonstrates the need for social reform due to the artist presents him as lower class

George Bellows

August 1882- January 8, 1925

Cliff Dwellers• Demonstrates realism,

because this is what urban streets in the city actually looked like

• Shows the need for social reform, because it shows the crowded, poor, and grungy city streets

• Shows beauty in a gritty urban scene.

• Captures the spontaneous moments of everyday life

Stag at Sharkey’s

• Shows spontaneous moments of everyday (illegal boxing match)

• Demonstrates the need for social reform because citizens were going behind the Govt.’s back and having illegal boxing matches.

John Sloan

August 2,1871- September 7, 1951

Election Night

• Shows the spontaneous moments of everyday life.

• Shows social reform (rich people celebrating the election of their candidates)

A Woman’s Work

• Shows spontaneous moments in everyday life ( lady doing laundry)

• Shows beauty in urban scenes

George Luks

August 13, 1867 – October 29, 1933

From The Verdict

• Shows the need for social reform (Government = Octopus, Citizens = City)

• Realism- portrays how the government really was and it’s intentions

Bleeker and Carmine Streets

• Realism- shows how people lived in the urban parts of the city

• The need for social reform- poor people staring into the windows of a food store

• Shows the beauty of the streets and buildings