Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying art medium made with pigment and a drying-oil binder that allows extended working time, smooth blending, and layered application.
Painter
John Sloan
John Sloan was an American Ashcan School painter known for candid New York street scenes, neighborhood routines, and direct observations of city life.
John Sloan quick facts
Sloan belonged to The Eight and the Ashcan School, painting New York life from direct observation and earlier illustration experience.
| Born | 1871 · Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, United States |
|---|---|
| Died | 1951 · Hanover, New Hampshire, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Movements | Ashcan School; American Realism |
| Paint types | Oil Paint · Watercolor Paint |
| Painting surfaces | Canvas · Paper |
| Painting methods | Observational oil painting of urban life, composed figures and tenements, and watercolor studies developed with graphite on paper |
| Common subjects | Working-class streets, elevated trains, social gatherings, shop windows, parks, and everyday New York |
| Notable works | McSorley's Bar · The Jitney · The New Blue Dress · Rain, Rooftops, West 4th Street |
| Related media | Etchings and newspaper illustrations documented city life alongside paintings |
Sources: The Met: The Jitney, oil on canvas, Smithsonian Hirshhorn: The New Blue Dress, Delaware Art Museum: Factory in Ruins, watercolor, Delaware Art Museum: Standing Nude, watercolor and graphite, The Met: The Ashcan School.
Paint types used
Sloan's New York street scenes were primarily painted in oil, while early landscapes and figure studies included watercolor on paper.
Watercolor Paint
Watercolor paint is a water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder, typically applied in transparent washes on absorbent paper.
Surface types used
Canvas supported Sloan's busy city oils, while paper held watercolors and graphite studies made during his training and early career.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric support, commonly cotton or linen, used for painting and sold either raw or prepared with a compatible ground layer.
Paper
Paper is an absorbent sheet material made from pressed fibers, with weight, sizing, and surface texture controlling moisture tolerance and paint behavior.
Painters similar to John Sloan
Bellows likewise painted modern New York crowds, while Marsh carried urban observation into a later generation of city scenes.
George Bellows
George Bellows was an American Ashcan School painter known for energetic scenes of New York City, boxing matches, crowded streets, and rough seas.
Reginald Marsh
Reginald Marsh was an American painter and illustrator known for scenes of New York City crowds, Coney Island, burlesque theaters, and street life.