Tuesday, November 12, 2024 – ENJOY THE NEW YORK ART OF JOHN SLOAN

By admin

THE VIEW FROM

JOHN SLOAN’S WINDOW

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024

Ephemeral New York


ISSUE #1342

What John Sloan Saw One Saturday Night

Outside a Butcher Shop on Bleecker Street

Whatever the reason, there’s a line outside this corner meat market, with customers eyeing the goods while others gather outside a dry goods shop, its entrance also illuminated in the night.

“Bleecker Street, Saturday Night” is a 1918 painting by John Sloan. Born in Pennsylvania, Sloan but by this time was a Village denizen who famously depicted the ordinary street life of his new neighborhood—from the flower vendors on Sixth Avenue to the rush of the elevated train and crowds of commuters scurrying under the track.

There’s a lot going on in this highly detailed image. Sloan introduces us to a cross-section of people, from young children to older adults, all going about their lives amid the Belgian block pavement and wood and brick buildings of a corner I wish I could identify. The rooftops get higher from right to left, shifting the perspective. The open basement doors add more drama.

“Bleecker Street, Saturday Night” is part of the collection at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which has this to say about it:

“When Sloan painted this scene, the city was undergoing rapid change. Residents navigated the streets and shops late into the evening hours thanks to the recent introduction of electric lighting. New construction projects led to buildings, such as the white one pictured here, getting partially or fully demolished. The painting represents both what once was and the inevitable change that comes with industrial development.”

OTHER PAINTINGS OF NEW YORK BY SLOAN

a scene in Manhattan, NYC painted while Sloan was working for the Federal Arts Project as documented in the GSA film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfOOhPE166k

Painting shows interior of Renganeschi’s Restaurant, 139 West Tenth Street, New York City, filled with patrons dressed in the fashion of the time. Couples sit at tables. At right a waiter stands at a table where 3 women are seated.

After the war, Valland worked for many years with the Monuments Men, helping to restore looted items to their original owners. It’s estimated that, thanks to her, more than 60,000 items were recovered for France. She also served as a witness at the Nuremberg Trials.

For her heroic efforts, she received multiple honours in later life, including a Resistance Medal. The French government named her both an Officer of the Legion of Honour and a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom by the United States, too

GOOD IDEA

BAD LOCATION
RIOC RECENTLY INSTALLED THIS MONITOR WITH ISLAND INFORMATION.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT IS IS DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE EXITING CROWDS FROM THE NORTH TRAM IN THE  PATH OF THOSE GOING DOWN THE RAMP. A  TRAFFIC JAM WILL ENSURE.

LET’S TRY A BETTER LOCATION!!!

CREDITS

EPHEMERAL NEW YORK
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
JUDITH BERDY

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

Copyright © 2024 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com