The Ashcan School and The Eight
THE FIRST STREET ART
Artists of the Ashcan School drew creative inspiration from the vibrant landscape of New York City in the early 20th century. Featuring non-idealized slices of American life, Ashcan imagery ranged from streetcars on muddy roads and quaint family scenes to women drying their hair on rooftops in lower-class neighborhoods.
WHEN & WHERE
c. 1908–1918
New York City, USA
Members of the Ashcan School focused on the often gritty realities of urban life, resisted the oppressiveness of academic art, and believed that any subject matter was valid. Some members had a newspaper illustration background that allowed them to quickly capture a scene in real time. This emphasis on drawing and the somber tones of the city contributed to a lack of extreme color in their thickly painted work.
In 1908, Robert Henri gathered eight of the Ashcan artists, cleverly calling them The Eight, and put together a show that marked a milestone for American modern painting. The literal nature of the artwork shocked a general public accustomed to the academic conventions that these artists detested.
This small group of young artists was able to find beauty in places previously unexplored, and the American Scene Painters of the ’20s and ’30s continued what the Ashcan School began, honoring the real people of America. —ARR
Selected artists: The Eight—Arthur B. Davies, William Glackens, Robert Henri, Ernest Lawson, George Luks, Maurice Pendergast, Everett Shinn, and John Sloan; Jacob August Riis, George Bellows, Guy Pène Du Bois, Edward Hopper, Alfred Maurer
FACT
This movement received its name from a disparaging critic who was less than enchanted by the rawness of its themes.