Man Monkey (Primary Title)
New York City Life (Series Title)
John Sloan, American, 1871–1951 (Artist)
John Sloan was one of the premier American painters and printmakers in the first half of the 20th century. From 1892 to 1903, he was a newspaper illustrator in Philadelphia, where he developed a loose, vibrant style. His spirited, realist mode remained throughout his career, evidenced by the network of hatch marks in the prints here. The artist taught himself etching with a how-to manual.
2014.443, 2014.444, and AM2018.4 join the art of Robert Henri and other Ashcan artists in challenging long-enforced proscriptions for acceptable subject matter for American painting. In Man Monkey (2014.443), a street musician makes an appeal with his hat, while children giggle and others stand bemused. Roof, Summer Night (2014.444) depicts an unglamorized group of sleeping tenement dwellers who have retreated outdoors to escape oppressive heat. Equally vernacular is The Lafayette (AM2018.4), which offers an insider’s view of the corner entrance of a well-known New York City hotel café, where people are entering and exiting.
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.