Tuesday, November 22, 2022 – 1930′ REALIST ART BY THIS BRITISH BORN ARTIST
FROM THE ARCHIVES
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2022
THE 840th EDITION
An Immigrant
Printmaker and Painter
Gives Color and Light
to
Depression-era New York City
EPHEMERAL NEW YORK
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Max Arthur Cohn was a prolific 20th century artist of many mediums. But whether a silkscreen print, oil painting, mural, or lithograph, Cohn’s work imbues nuanced scenes of midcentury New York City with bursts of color and Ashcan-inspired realism. (“Rainy Day/Victor Food Shop,” date unknown, seriograph)
His early years echo those of so many early 20th century immigrants. Born in London in 1903 to Russian parents, Cohn and his family settled in America two years later, moving to Cleveland and then Kingston, New York. At 17, he landed his first art-related job in New York City: making commercial silkscreens.
(“New York Street Scene,” 1935, oil)
Silkscreening seemed to become Cohn’s creative focus. At the Art Students League—where he studied under John Sloan—he’s thought to have made his first artistic screenprint, according to the Annex Galleries. In 1940, he founded the National Serigraph Society (a serigraph is another word for a silkscreen print) and exhibited his prints in New York galleries.
Cohn, who spent much of his long life residing in Gotham, is also credited with teaching a young Andy Warhol the silkscreening process in the 1960s, according to Sotheby’s.
(“Washington Square,” 1928, oil)
During the Depression, Cohn found employment at the Works Progress Administration. The small stipend the WPA paid to artists must have been welcome support during these lean years of national financial uncertainty.
“In 1934, as part of the New Deal, he was selected as one of the artists for the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) and from 1936-1939 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Easel Project,” states arts agency fineleaf.net.
(“Hooverville Depression Scene,” 1938, oil)
The work featured in this post don’t reflect Cohn’s later artistic style, which became more abstract. Instead, they reveal an artist with a sensitivity to New York City’s rhythms and moods from the 1920s to 1940s.
I’ve read a fair amount about Cohn, and what strikes me most is that he doesn’t seem to belong to any one school. Art historians have described him as a pointillist, modernist, and American scene artist. I see the influence of the post-Impressionists and the Ashcan School, sometimes with a Hopper-esque quality as well.
(“New York City Subway,” 1940s, oil)
FROM THE
SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM
Max Arthur Cohn, Coal Tower, ca. 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.4
Max Arthur Cohn, Bethlehem Steel Works, 1938, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. Max Arthur Cohn, 1978.41.1
Max Arthur Cohn, Untitled (Night Scene), 1944, color screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1984.63.5, © 1984, Max Arthur Cohn
Max Arthur Cohn, Railroad Bridge, opaque watercolor, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1984.63.3
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MONDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
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GLORIA HERMAN GOT IT RIGHT
Text by Judith Berdy
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Sources
EPHEMERAL NEW YORK
SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
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