John Sloan - McSorley's Bar [1912]

John Sloan - McSorley's Bar [1912], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 – September 8, 1951) was an American artist. As a member of The Eight, a group of American artists, he became a leading figure in the Ashcan School of realist artists. He was known for his urban genre painting and ability to capture the essence of neighbourhood life in New York City, often through his window.

McSorley’s Old Ale House was established by John McSorley in 1854. Men of note frequented the saloon and paid homage to the affable John McSorley, described as a quirky, sometimes crusty individual with ‘a lot of unassumed dignity’.

[Oil on canvas, 66.04 x 81.28 cm]

John Sloan - The Picnic Grounds [1906–07]

John Sloan - The Picnic Grounds [1906–07], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

The Picnic Grounds epitomises the urban comedy of manners on which Sloan's reputation rests. The setting is a public park in Bayonne, New Jersey, which Sloan (American, 1871–1951) and his wife visited on Decoration Day (now known as Memorial Day) 1906. Sloan noted in his diary: "Then we went to the Newark bay side and watched picnic grounds, dancing pavilion, young girls of the healthy lusty type with white caps jauntily perched on their heads." Working, as usual, from memory, Sloan enlists an informal composition, jagged forms, and vigorous brushwork to express the youngsters' liveliness. The girls' shirtwaist dresses, garish makeup, and unrestrained gaiety identify them as working class, and their cricket caps hint that their flirtation is merely a game. The candid painting represents a radical departure in style, setting, and spirit from earlier courtship scenes.

[Oil on canvas, 61 x 91.4 cm]

John Sloan - Chinese Restaurant [1909]

Around 1900 the growing middle class, the new employment opportunities for women, and the influx of immigrants led to the proliferation of ethnic eateries, which extended New York's dining culture beyond private homes, clubs, and exclusive establishments. Sloan (American, 1871–1951) noted in his diary in February 1909: "Felt restless so went to the Chinese restaurant and was glad I did for I saw a strikingly gotten up girl with dashing red feathers in her hat playing with the restaurant's fat cat. It would be a good thing to paint." Sloan's canvas, on which he worked from memory, may portray a woman of easy virtue, as her flamboyant attire and heavy makeup suggest. Yet, instead of any hint of reproach, Sloan conveys a light-hearted acceptance of her droll little performance as she feeds the cat while her slovenly companion feeds himself and two men look on with amusement.

[Oil on canvas, 66 x 81.9 cm]