Starting out as a die-cutter for a silverware firm, Grabach also designed important works of sterling silver hollow ware and Art Deco glass designs for several high-end retail manufacturers. He designed United States stamps for the Treasury Department and designed holiday greeting cards for several firms. Grabach enrolled in courses at the Art Students League in his spare time, studying under George Bridgman, Frank Dumond, Kenyon Cox and H. August Schwabe.
Considered a leading figure in the Newark School of Painters, his powerful Ashcan style paintings depicting scenes of New York City and Newark are truly American masterpieces. He captures the expressions and mood of his subjects in these complex compositions on par with any of the highly regarded Ashcan painters of this period. Similar in many ways to his contemporary, George Bellows, Grabach was gifted in portraying the everyday events of working class folks, and translating their ordinary daily routines into something extraordinary to look at.
[Oil on canvas, 91.6 x 107.3 cm]
No comments:
Post a Comment