John Sloan (1871 - 1951)

Born on August 2, 1871 in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, John Sloan was one of the most distinguished artists of the twentieth century. After becoming a highly successful commercial illustrator, Sloan enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under the tutelage of Thomas Eakins and Thomas Anschutz. Bored with drawing from casts, Sloan and other students formed the Charcoal Club where drawing was done from nude models. It was here that he met his friend and mentor, Robert Henri, who urged him to take himself more seriously as a fine artist.

His "New York Life" series depicted scenes of urban living. City streets, alleys, docks and tenements were drawn in the strong realist tradition. This was oppositional to the photographic realism and romantic subject matter preferred by the Academy of that time.

The long span of Sloan's life saw many changes in both social and art history. He was involved in the controversial 1908 exhibition that shook the art world and labeled its participants the "revolutionary black gang." Sloan continued to be a realist throughout his career, being more concerned with painting problems than social problems. The term "Ashcan School" first appeared in a 1934 Art in America article written by Cahill and Barr. Their intention was to differentiate these artists from the regional realists (Curry and Benton) and the social realists (Shahn and Evergood). It immediately became a popular term used to describe the work of the New York Realists (Henri and followers).

Exceptional artist, dedicated teacher, concerned activist, Sloan was an important figure of American art. His work is in the collection of some of the finest cultural institutions in this country including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts.