William Glackens (1870-1938)


Washington Square – The Green Dress signed 'William Glackens' (lower right)oil on canvas13 1/8 x 16 1/4in
|ProvenanceThe artist.Estate of the above.Kraushaar Galleries, New York.Private collection, San Francisco, California, acquired from the above, 1958.Private collection, San Francisco, California, by descent.Gift to the present owner from the above, 2017.Exhibited(possibly) Omaha, Nebraska, Joslyn Art Museum, 1951.William Glackens is famously known for his association with the group of American painters who identified as The Eight and were later among the Ashcan School of painters. Members of the group included Robert Henri, John Sloan, Everett Shinn, George Luks, Ernest Lawson, Maurice Brazil Prendergast and Arthur B. Davies. Codified by their group exhibition in 1908 at Macbeth Gallery in New York, the group displayed a series of paintings that ignored traditional artistic subject matter and instead put a spotlight on the urban landscape of downtown Manhattan. Their focus was realistic depictions of everyday life in New York City. From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Glackens eventually settled in New York by 1900. He maintained a studio in Washington Square Park as well as a private residence along the southern edge of the park. Washington Square Park was situated in an area between distinct neighborhoods of New York, with Greenwich Village—an area home to large immigrant communities—to the South and a stylish neighborhood to the north. In the early 1900s, Glackens frequently depicted the park and the diversity of those who enjoyed it as subject to numerous oils and drawings. Washington Square – The Green Dress stands as an accomplished oil painting from this period. Through the trees in the background of the composition, represented by bold red strokes of paint, are the red brick Greek Revival townhouses characteristic of the Northern edge of the park. Washington Square – The Green Dress is a charming example of the vibrant city life that fascinated the artist. Figures are scattered throughout the middle ground, wandering along the park's paths, and resting to sit on benches that line the grass lawn. Vibrant green pigment is scattered throughout the composition, suggesting the work was painted in spring or summer when the city's parks were in bloom. The central figure in the green dress at right, for which the work is fondly titled, steps toward the viewer into a ray of sunshine. She wears white gloves that cover her forearms, a stylish hat and floor-length dress. She holds a small handbag in her right hand which is seen swinging along her side. It is the artist's great affection for his subject that can be felt in the animated brush strokes of Washington Square – The Green Dress. The present work was acquired directly from the artist's estate, through Kraushaar Galleries, New York, in 1958, by a prestigious private collector on the West Coast. The work remained in the same private collection for nearly sixty years before being gifted to the present owner.