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Art for a New Century: The Eight and the Fourteenth Street School:
The first two decades of the 20th century were dominated by a group of New York painters working in a daring, realist style. Responding to the dramatic changes wrought by increasing industrialization and immigration, these artists favored bold and brash scenes depicting modern life,often set in the city's poorer neighborhoods. The leading group called themselves The Eight; some were later known as the Ash Can School, a reference to their gritty subject matter. Although they presented themselves as a unified group for exhibition purposes, these artists had widely varying styles and sometimes ventured beyond New York City in search of subject matter.
A loose cadre of younger artists followed in the footsteps of the Ash Can painters by adopting urban realism as their primary subject. Eschewing the growing influence of European modernism, this group continued to portray the conditions and experiences of the city in a representational style. Known as the Fourteenth Street School, these artists established their studios and found their artistic inspiration in the working-class neighborhood around 14th Street and Union Square in New York City. |