.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
At the turn of the 20th century, the pioneering Ashcan School poignantly recorded everyday life in New York City, seeking to portray the metropolis and its people in a fresh and uncompromising manner. Led by Robert Henri, George Bellows, George Luks, Everett Shinn and William Glackens, the Ashcan school promoted a focus on meaningful, urban subject matter. Descending from the Bus belongs to an important group of works by Glackens depicting the bustling Washington Square Park in lower Manhattan. Executed around 1910, these oils are characterized by Glackens’ expressive brushwork and incorporation of the lively daily interactions of New York City.
The present work portrays a bright winter day before the Washington Square arch, peopled with commuters rushing about the snowy park. Glackens’ early Washington Square works often feature figures who “are not there to enjoy the square but are usually hurrying about their business, traveling on foot, by automobile, by electric tram, or by double-deck bus.” (W.H. Gerdts, J.H. Santis, William Glackens, New York, 1996, p. 102) Rather than focusing in on one curated narrative, Glackens captures the unpredictable and multifaceted nature of life in New York. Figures bundled in their winter clothes hurry off the bus while others walk along the street, rushing through the brisk day.
Descending from the Bus depicts a view from the south side of the park, where Glackens maintained his studio. According to William H, Gerdts, “This was also the less fashionable side of the square, the northern boundary of an ethnic Italian neighborhood,” which the artist prominently featured in other works from this period, such as his Italo-American Celebration, Washington Square of circa 1912, in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (William Glackens, p. 103). As if captured spontaneously from his studio window, the present work invites the viewer into a day in the life of the artist.
Rooted in his close observation of and connection to the everyday life of Manhattanites, Descending from the Bus at once reveals Glackens’ profound fascination with his surroundings and overarching interest in the development of a distinctive style of Impressionism that honored his American origins. Following in the tradition of depicting American urbanism, mastered by eminent predecessors like Childe Hassam, Glackens paints a visually stunning scene of his daily view. Brimming with life and movement, the artist charmingly elevates a quotidian scene to the realm of fine art.
The present work portrays a bright winter day before the Washington Square arch, peopled with commuters rushing about the snowy park. Glackens’ early Washington Square works often feature figures who “are not there to enjoy the square but are usually hurrying about their business, traveling on foot, by automobile, by electric tram, or by double-deck bus.” (W.H. Gerdts, J.H. Santis, William Glackens, New York, 1996, p. 102) Rather than focusing in on one curated narrative, Glackens captures the unpredictable and multifaceted nature of life in New York. Figures bundled in their winter clothes hurry off the bus while others walk along the street, rushing through the brisk day.
Descending from the Bus depicts a view from the south side of the park, where Glackens maintained his studio. According to William H, Gerdts, “This was also the less fashionable side of the square, the northern boundary of an ethnic Italian neighborhood,” which the artist prominently featured in other works from this period, such as his Italo-American Celebration, Washington Square of circa 1912, in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (William Glackens, p. 103). As if captured spontaneously from his studio window, the present work invites the viewer into a day in the life of the artist.
Rooted in his close observation of and connection to the everyday life of Manhattanites, Descending from the Bus at once reveals Glackens’ profound fascination with his surroundings and overarching interest in the development of a distinctive style of Impressionism that honored his American origins. Following in the tradition of depicting American urbanism, mastered by eminent predecessors like Childe Hassam, Glackens paints a visually stunning scene of his daily view. Brimming with life and movement, the artist charmingly elevates a quotidian scene to the realm of fine art.