William Glackens (1870-1938)
The Easter Hat, c. 1930
 Born in Philadelphia, William Glackens began his career as a newspaper illustrator. After meeting Robert Henri in 1891, he was inspired to pursue a painting career. Five years later, he moved to New York and joined The Eight in 1908. Glackens was a principle member of the Ashcan school although his work bordered on Impressionism rather than Social Realism. The Ashcan school was a group of urban realist painters in America creating work around the early part of 20th century. The group, founded by the artist and teacher Robert Henri, began its activities in Philadelphia around 1891.
The Ashcan school was more revolutionary in its subject matter rather than its style. The Ashcan school artists sought to paint "real life" and urban reality. These artists believed what was real and true in life was what was beautiful and what constituted "art." They painted gritty urban scenes and the poor and disenfranchised in America.
His early paintings share the dark tones of Manet and Hals favored by several of the leading members of The Eight, but after spending six summers at Bellport on Long Island between 1911 and 1916, his palette brightened. After 1914, he took on less commercial work in order to concentrate more on his painting. In the thirties, he painted some handsome figural compositions, of which The Easter Hat (c. 1930) is a strong example of the reserved formality characteristic of his studio work.
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