New York City, 1908 to C.1913
The Ashcan School was a group of artists who sought to capture the feel of
turn-of-the-century New York City, through realistic and unglamorized portraits
of everyday life. A critic, referring to their depictions of alleys,
tenements, and slum dwellers, dubbed them the Ashcan School: a label that
is often used as synonymous with that of another group —
The Eight.
It largely consisted of
Robert Henri
and his circle. Henri, an influential teacher, was an admirer of the
down-to-earth American realism of
Thomas Eakins and
Thomas Anshutz.
In addition to Henri, the Ashcan School included these members of The Eight:
Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928),
George Luks (1867-1933),
William Glackens (1870-1938),
John Sloan (1871-1951), and
Everett Shinn (1876-1953).
Others who are considered in the Ashcan school are:
Alfred Maurer (1868-1932),
George Wesley Bellows (1882-1925),
Edward Hopper (1882-1967),
and Guy Pène Du Bois (1884-1958).
The spirit of the Ashcan School was carried on by the
American Scene Painting
of the 1920's and 1930's.
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