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Estate of the artist
Mrs. William Glackens
Mr. and Mrs. Ira Glackens (son and daughter-in-law of artist)
Kraushaar Galleries, New York, New York
Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1967
Private collection
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York,
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1988
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
William Glackens
(American, 1870–1938)
Beach, St. Jean de Luz
1929
Oil on canvas
Image: 23 3/4 x 32 in. (60.3 x 81.3 cm)
Frame: 35 3/8 x 43 1/2 in. (89.9 x 110.5 cm)
Frame: 35 3/8 x 43 1/2 in. (89.9 x 110.5 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1988.8
SignedLower right: W. Glackens
InterpretationA varied assortment of lively holiday beach-goers fills the foreground of William Glackens's cheerful Beach, St. Jean de Luz. Under a clear sky, pleasure boats decked with colorful flags, the French tricolor prominent among them, bob on the blue waters of the protected bay. The active surface of Glackens's painting, with its soft, feathery brushwork and bright contrasting hues, evokes the happy mood as well as the bright light and color of a beach resort at high season. In style, mood, and subject, the painting demonstrates Glackens's personal interpretation of impressionism, the painting of everyday subjects with bright color and broken brushstrokes to evoke the effects of sunlight and the transience of modern life.
Beach, St. Jean de Luz is one of many landscapes that Glackens painted in the south of France in the late 1920s and early 1930s, when he divided his time between France and the United States. In 1929, the artist and his family spent the month of August at the small Atlantic fishing port of St. Jean de Luz, near the border of Spain. Glackens's son Ira described the beach as "intimate and small, an excellent subject to sketch and paint."1 Both the crayon sketches for this painting and the work itself reveal Glackens's preoccupation with the beachgoers, especially with the variety of their poses, attitudes, and social types, rather than with the details or natural character of the setting. In this, Glackens drew on his long career as a successful illustrator, in which he had mastered the art of capturing nuances of expression and social type with vivid concision and sometimes biting humor.
The softened definition of forms and rich colorism of Beach, St. Jean de Luz are hallmarks of Glackens's painting style after around 1912, when he came fully under the influence of French impressionist painter Auguste Renoir (1841–1919). This, along with his partial residence in France, inspired American critics to note a French character to Glackens's mature painting. However, Beach, St. Jean de Luz is firmly rooted in the artist's personal artistic outlook. Early in his career, as a member of the so-called Ashcan school, progressive painters of the urban scene, Glackens and several of his associates portrayed city beaches, such as New York's Coney Island, as lively, crowded holiday destinations for a wide range of social classes; Glackens went on to paint beach seasons at several of the coastal resorts to which he began to make regular summertime visits, notably Bellport, on New York's Long Island. Beach, St. Jean de Luz thus embodies Glackens's personal melding of Ashcan social realism and an impressionist style.
1. Ira Glackens, William Glackens and The Eight: the artists who freed American art (New York: Horizon Press, 1957): 240.
Beach, St. Jean de Luz is one of many landscapes that Glackens painted in the south of France in the late 1920s and early 1930s, when he divided his time between France and the United States. In 1929, the artist and his family spent the month of August at the small Atlantic fishing port of St. Jean de Luz, near the border of Spain. Glackens's son Ira described the beach as "intimate and small, an excellent subject to sketch and paint."1 Both the crayon sketches for this painting and the work itself reveal Glackens's preoccupation with the beachgoers, especially with the variety of their poses, attitudes, and social types, rather than with the details or natural character of the setting. In this, Glackens drew on his long career as a successful illustrator, in which he had mastered the art of capturing nuances of expression and social type with vivid concision and sometimes biting humor.
The softened definition of forms and rich colorism of Beach, St. Jean de Luz are hallmarks of Glackens's painting style after around 1912, when he came fully under the influence of French impressionist painter Auguste Renoir (1841–1919). This, along with his partial residence in France, inspired American critics to note a French character to Glackens's mature painting. However, Beach, St. Jean de Luz is firmly rooted in the artist's personal artistic outlook. Early in his career, as a member of the so-called Ashcan school, progressive painters of the urban scene, Glackens and several of his associates portrayed city beaches, such as New York's Coney Island, as lively, crowded holiday destinations for a wide range of social classes; Glackens went on to paint beach seasons at several of the coastal resorts to which he began to make regular summertime visits, notably Bellport, on New York's Long Island. Beach, St. Jean de Luz thus embodies Glackens's personal melding of Ashcan social realism and an impressionist style.
1. Ira Glackens, William Glackens and The Eight: the artists who freed American art (New York: Horizon Press, 1957): 240.
Estate of the artist
Mrs. William Glackens
Mr. and Mrs. Ira Glackens (son and daughter-in-law of artist)
Kraushaar Galleries, New York, New York
Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1967
Private collection
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York,
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1988
Exhibition History
William Glackens Memorial Exhibition, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, December 14, 1938–January 15, 1939. [exh. cat.]
William Glackens in Retrospect, City Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri, November 18–December 31, 1966; National Collection of Fine Arts, Washington, D.C., February 1–April 2, 1967; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, April 25–June 11, 1967. [exh. cat.]
The Art of William Glackens, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana, March 16–April 13, 1969. [exh. cat.]
American Painters in France, 1830–1930, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 14–September 3, 1989. [exh. cat.]
Rivières et rivages: les artistes américains, 1850–1900 (Waves and Waterways: American Perspectives, 1850–1900), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2000. [exh. cat.]
American Classics from the Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 14–June 15, 2003.
Le Temps des loisirs : peintures américaines (At Leisure: American Paintings), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, July 15–October 31, 2007.
Le Temps des loisirs : peintures américaines (At Leisure: American Paintings), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2008.
The Eight and American Modernisms, Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (organizers). Venues: New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, March 6–May 24, 2009; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 6–August 23, 2009. [exh. cat.]
William Glackens, Nova Southeastern University’s Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (organizer). Venues: Nova Southeastern University’s Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Florida February 23–June 1, 2014; Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York, July 27–October 13, 2014; Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania November 8, 2014–February 2, 2015. (exhibited in Water Mill, New York).
William Glackens in Retrospect, City Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri, November 18–December 31, 1966; National Collection of Fine Arts, Washington, D.C., February 1–April 2, 1967; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, April 25–June 11, 1967. [exh. cat.]
The Art of William Glackens, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana, March 16–April 13, 1969. [exh. cat.]
American Painters in France, 1830–1930, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 14–September 3, 1989. [exh. cat.]
Rivières et rivages: les artistes américains, 1850–1900 (Waves and Waterways: American Perspectives, 1850–1900), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2000. [exh. cat.]
American Classics from the Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 14–June 15, 2003.
Le Temps des loisirs : peintures américaines (At Leisure: American Paintings), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, July 15–October 31, 2007.
Le Temps des loisirs : peintures américaines (At Leisure: American Paintings), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2008.
The Eight and American Modernisms, Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (organizers). Venues: New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, March 6–May 24, 2009; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 6–August 23, 2009. [exh. cat.]
William Glackens, Nova Southeastern University’s Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (organizer). Venues: Nova Southeastern University’s Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Florida February 23–June 1, 2014; Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York, July 27–October 13, 2014; Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania November 8, 2014–February 2, 2015. (exhibited in Water Mill, New York).
Glackens, Ira. William Glackens and the Ashcan Group: The Emergence of Realism in American Art. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1957. Text p. 240; ill. p. 236 (black and white).
Glackens, Ira. William Glackens and the Eight: The Artists Who Freed American Art. New York: Crown Publishers, 1957. Text p. 240; ill. following p. 236.
William Glackens in Retrospect. (exh. cat., City Art Museum). St. Louis, City Art Museum, 1966. Cat. no. 66 (black and white).
American Paintings V. New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 1988. Text p. 154; ill. (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 101; fig. 103, p. 101 (black & white).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 101; fig. 103, p. 101 (black & white).
Gerdts, William H. William Glackens. New York: Abbeville Press, 1996. Text p. 140; pl. 116, p. 141 (black & white).
Wattenmaker, Richard J. The Sketchbook Studies of William Glackens, Archives of American Art Journal 44: 1–2 (2004): p. 40 (black & white).
Kennedy, Elizabeth et al. The Eight and American Modernisms. (exh. cat., New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2009. Text pp. 48, 175 (checklist); Ill. p. 55 (color).
Kennedy, Elizabeth. "The Eight and American Modernisms" American Art Review 21.2 (March-April 2009): 118-127. Ill. p. 123 (color).
Berman, Avis, ed. William Glackens. (exh. cat. Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Parrish Art Museum, and Barnes Foundation). New York: Skira Rizzoli Publications, Inc. in Association with the Barnes Foundation, 2014. Text pp. 150, 199, 274, 276 (checklist); ill. pl. 96 (color), p. 218.
Glackens, Ira. William Glackens and the Eight: The Artists Who Freed American Art. New York: Crown Publishers, 1957. Text p. 240; ill. following p. 236.
William Glackens in Retrospect. (exh. cat., City Art Museum). St. Louis, City Art Museum, 1966. Cat. no. 66 (black and white).
American Paintings V. New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 1988. Text p. 154; ill. (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 101; fig. 103, p. 101 (black & white).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 101; fig. 103, p. 101 (black & white).
Gerdts, William H. William Glackens. New York: Abbeville Press, 1996. Text p. 140; pl. 116, p. 141 (black & white).
Wattenmaker, Richard J. The Sketchbook Studies of William Glackens, Archives of American Art Journal 44: 1–2 (2004): p. 40 (black & white).
Kennedy, Elizabeth et al. The Eight and American Modernisms. (exh. cat., New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2009. Text pp. 48, 175 (checklist); Ill. p. 55 (color).
Kennedy, Elizabeth. "The Eight and American Modernisms" American Art Review 21.2 (March-April 2009): 118-127. Ill. p. 123 (color).
Berman, Avis, ed. William Glackens. (exh. cat. Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Parrish Art Museum, and Barnes Foundation). New York: Skira Rizzoli Publications, Inc. in Association with the Barnes Foundation, 2014. Text pp. 150, 199, 274, 276 (checklist); ill. pl. 96 (color), p. 218.