Everett Shinn was an
American realist300px|thumb|[[Ashcan School]] artists & friends at [[John French Sloan]]'s Philadelphia Studio, 1898American realism was an early 20th century idea in art, music and literature that showed through these different types of work, reflections of the time period...
painter and member of the
Ashcan SchoolThe Ashcan School, also called the Ash Can School, is defined as a realist artistic movement that came into prominence in the United States during the early twentieth century, best known for works portraying scenes of daily life in New York's poorer neighborhoods. The movement grew out of a group...
, also known as 'the Eight.' He was the youngest member of the group of
modernistModernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
painters who explored the depiction of real life. He is most famous for his numerous paintings of New York and the theater and of various aspects of luxury and modern life inspired by his home in New York City.
Biography
Shinn was born in
Woodstown, New JerseyWoodstown is a Borough in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 3,136.Woodstown was established on July 26, 1882, from portions of Pilesgrove Township based on the results of a referendum held that same day...
, a large Quaker community. His parents, Isiah Conklin Shinn and Josephine Ransley Shinn were rural farmers. He had two brothers: Warren, who was older and Harold who was younger. Shinn was named for the author
Edward Everett HaleEdward Everett Hale was an American author, historian and Unitarian clergyman. He was a child prodigy who exhibited extraordinary literary skills and at age thirteen was enrolled at Harvard University where he graduated second in his class...
of whom his father was a great fan. In 1898, Shinn married
Florence ScovelFlorence Scovel Shinn was an American artist and book illustrator who became a New Thought spiritual teacher and metaphysical writer in her middle years...
, known as "Flossie", another artist from New Jersey. In 1912, he and Flossie divorced. He was remarried to Corinne Baldwin in 1913 and they had two children, Janet and David. By 1933, Shinn had divorced two more wives and was the subject of many tabloid rumors. He suffered many losses during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and sold very few paintings during that time. Between 1910 and 1937, Shinn held only one exhibition of paintings at Knoedler's in 1920. Between 1937 and his death in 1953, Shinn received several awards commending his innovative paintings and participated in several exhibitions. He died of lung cancer in 1953.
Philadelphia
Shinn left Woodstown at the age of fourteen and enrolled at a technical institution known as the Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia from 1888-1890. The school specialized in the teaching of mechanical drawing and architecture and was also attended by fellow member of ‘The Eight,’ John Sloan. Following his education, Shinn spent a year working at the Thackery Gas Fixture Works designing light fixtures. After being fired for doodling in the margins of his plans, his former employer urged him to go into a more creative field, citing the newspaper and magazine industries as examples.
He began his work for the
Philadelphia PressThe Philadelphia Press is a defunct newspaper that was published from August 1, 1857 to October 1, 1920.The paper was founded by John W. Forney. Charles Emory Smith was editor and owned a stake in the paper from 1880 until his death in 1908...
in 1893 as an
illustratorAn Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
. Many, including Shinn, consider this the true beginning of his art career. In later years, Shinn would express his great dismay over the development of photography as the major source of pictorials in newspapers because it eventually largely replaced his form of art. He continually moved from paper to paper for the rest of his illustrating career, receiving a pay increase with each move. The attention to detail necessary for his newspaper illustrations is reflected in his style and later paintings, especially those of urban nature. In 1899, he quit the newspaper business and began working for
Ainslee's Magazine, a magazine that also employed his wife, who was by that time a very successful illustrator and who brought in a good deal of the household income. Shinn also started displaying his work publicly in 1899 with mixed reactions. In 1900, he and Flossie traveled to Europe for him study and prepare to produce another exhibit. The trip greatly influenced his art in years to come during his visit, he saw European art that was focused on theatrical portrayals, as well as
impressionistImpressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
works.
Shinn has said of his experience at the Philadelphia Press:
"In the Art Department of the Philadelphia Press on wobbling, ink-stained drawing boards William J. Glackens, George Luks, Everett Shin and John Sloan went to school, a school now lamentably extinct…a school that trained memory and quick perception."
It was during Shinn's time in Philadelphia that artists John Sloan and Joseph Laub established the Charcoal Club as an alternative art school. The group, whose members were members of 'the Eight' such as Henri, Sloan, Glackens, Luks and Shinn, reached a peak membership of 38 and sketched nudes and did critiques of each others work. The club is often thought of as the establishing point of the Philadelphia group, later known as ‘The Eight’.
New York and 'The Eight'
In 1897, Shinn was offered a higher paying job as an illustrator for the New York newspaper,
The World. He moved there and was joined shortly there after by his wife, Flossie, and by other members of the Charcoal Club. Shinn enjoyed living in the city and observing the eccentric daily hustle and bustle exemplified by living in New York. Much of Shinn's life and opinions were reflected in his work. His life in New York was a major subject in many of his paintings. His fascination with the urban changes and city revolutions was evident in paintings like
Fire on Mott Street and
Fight. Shinn often depicted scenes of drama and violence, rallying for social change and urban understanding. Coinciding with the dramatic themes found throughout his work, theatre was also a major subject in Shinn's pastels.
'The Eight,' also known as the Ashcan School, was a group of eight artists that rebelled against traditional academic artistic standards. Their name was established in 1908 when they held their single united exhibition together. The members of the group were extremely diverse in their subjects and painting styles, a fact that contributed to their short-lived nature. The groups style is most commonly associated with the realist movement in
modern artModern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
.
In the years of 1901-1910 Shinn began to experiment more with subjects in his work, gaining respect from art critics slowly but progressively. His paintings began to include the subject of theatre, something he is known for now and he became an acclaimed used of pastels. During this time, he also did several murals, including one for the
Belasco Stuyvesant TheatreThe Belasco Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 111 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architect George Keister for impresario David Belasco, the interior featured Tiffany lighting and ceiling panels, rich woodwork and expansive murals by American artist...
that was eighteen panels.
Style
Shinn's pastels were bold and brushy. His strokes were thick and his paintings communicated a sense of immediacy, sending a message similar to that of a snapshot. Through his many years, Shinn experimented in the mediums of oil, pastel red chalk, gouache and watercolors, though his most famous works were oil pastels. Like many painters associated with the realist movement, Shinn often depicted women and men from diverse races, classes and social backgrounds in public spaces together. This exploration of lower class subject matter is representative of the modern art movement. Many members of 'The Eight' had ties to these subject experimentations. Shinn, like is peers, was concerned with depicting real life and the world around him. Many of his paintings were inspired by his window views and walking through the parks in New York City, his most instrumental paintings were created during his time there.
Legacy
Shinn was the youngest member of The Eight. Though Shinn's work was exploratory in subject matter and dramatic in style, it is considered most commonly in context with The Eight. Shinn's depictions of city life, the theater and high contrast spectacles that distinguished his work.
Shinn also had a lasting impact on the art world specifically in New York City. Through many of his works, Shinn documented leisure time and its impact on the American lifestyle.
Select Painting Analysis
The Fight, 1899 (Charcoal).
In
The Fight, a group of men stand on the right side of the drawing, watching a fist fight that is taking place in the center, right outside of a bar. Both black and white men are represented in the drawing, something unusual for Shinn's time period. The subject of the drawing (two men fighting) was very controversial. Fighting and brawls were typically associated with the lower class, a class that wasn't typically depicted in high art during Shinn's time. There is a bold stroked, yet sketchy quality to the piece that makes the subjects seem even more uneasy and off-balance. The balance of the drawing is heavily on the right side of the painting with much more open urban space depicted on the left. This drawing is typical of Shinn because it shows lower class subjects in the urban landscape.
Theater Scene, 1906 (oil pastel on canvas).
This painting is representative of Shinn's work in that it incorporates the theater, Shinn's favorite subject, and an intricate set design, another of Shinn's hobbies. The painting itself is of a group of dancers, clad in mostly white, onstage with a detailed backdrop of picturesque hills and a garden. The brush strokes are broad and wide and the painting has a sense of immediacy to it. The figures within the painting almost seem to be moving. The dancers are all dressed in white, a color symbolic of purity and one often associated with the upper class. The subject matter and content of this painting greatly contrasts with some of Shinn's other works that depict the lower classes as well as a diverse array of subjects. The painting has an almost dreamlike quality to it, making it seem more impressionist than realist in some parts.
Selected works
- Fifth Avenue Coach, Winter, 1906, Montclair Art Museum
The Montclair Art Museum is located in Montclair, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States.-Collection:The Montclair Art Museum is one of the few museums in the United States devoted to American art and Native American art forms. The collection consists of more than 12,000 works...
- Backstage Scene, 1900, Delaware Art Museum
The Delaware Art Museum is an art museum located on the Kentmere Parkway in Wilmington, Delaware, which holds a collection of more than 12,000 works. The museum, was founded in 1912 as the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts in honor of the artist Howard Pyle and is now celebrating its centennial...
- Tenements at Hester Street, 1900, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
- Self-Portrait,1901, National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in Washington, D.C., administered by the Smithsonian Institution. Its collections focus on images of famous individual Americans.-Building:...
, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
- The Vaudeville Act, 1902–1903, Palmer Museum of Art at Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
- Theater Scene, 1903, Terra Foundation for the Arts, Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
- Outdoor Stage, France, 1905, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
- "A French Music Hall", 1906, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas is a city in Northwest Bahamas, and county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States The population was 35,301 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- Dancer in White Before the Footlights, 1910, Butler Institute of American Art
The Butler Institute of American Art, located on Wick Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, was the first museum dedicated exclusively to American art. Established by local industrialist and philanthropist Joseph G. Butler, Jr., the museum has been operating pro bono since 1919...
, Youngstown, OhioYoungstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
- Actress in Red Before Mirror, 1910, Hunter Museum of American Art
The Hunter Museum of American Art is an art museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The museum's collections include works representing the Hudson River School, 19th century genre painting, American Impressionism, the Ashcan School, early modernism, regionalism, and post World War II modern and...
, TennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
- Tightrope Walker, 1924, Dayton Art Institute
The Dayton Art Institute is a museum of fine arts in Dayton, Ohio, USA. The Dayton Art Institute was rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for kids. The museum also ranks in the top 3% of all art museums in North America in 3 of 4 factors...
, Dayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
Exhibitions
- 1899, January 16-February 25, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
, Philadelphia, pastels
- 1903, April 24-June 1, Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
- 1905-1906, November 20-January 1, Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are four museums that are operated by the Carnegie Institute headquartered in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, Pittsburgh
- 1907, January 21-February 2, Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
- 1908, March 7, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Chicago, Buffalo
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, Toledo, OhioToledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, Eight
- 1910, April 18, American Watercolor Society, New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
- 1920, June–August, Knoedler's, New York
- 1937, February 9-March 5, Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, New York, New York Realists
- 1944, Fall, Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are four museums that are operated by the Carnegie Institute headquartered in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, Pittsburgh, Bastille Day Exhibit
- 1946, November 19-December 7, American British Art Center
- 1950-1951, December 9-February 25, Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, New York City
- 1952, November, James Graham & Sons, New York
See also
- American realism
300px|thumb|[[Ashcan School]] artists & friends at [[John French Sloan]]'s Philadelphia Studio, 1898American realism was an early 20th century idea in art, music and literature that showed through these different types of work, reflections of the time period...
- Ash Can School
- John Sloan
- Robert Henri
Robert Henri was an American painter and teacher. He was a leading figure of the Ashcan School in art.- Early life :...
- William Glackens
William James Glackens was an American realist painter.Glackens studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and later moved to New York City, where he co-founded what came to be called the Ashcan School art movement...
External links