George
Luks was born in
1867. After travelling in Europe he returned to the United
States in 1894 and became an illustrator on the Philadelphia
Press.
In 1896 Luks moved to New York where
he became friends with Robert Henri and
John Sloan . He was later associated with
what Art Young described as the Ash Can
School. Henri, who taught at the New York School
of Art, was the leader of the group, and argued that art should
be "a social force that creates a stir in the world". Henri
also urged artists to use the "rich subject-matter provided by
modern urban life".
Luks contributed to The Eight
exhibition in 1907 and the Armory Show
in 1913. Like Robert Henri and John
Sloan, Luks identified himself with the poorer classes and the
subject matter of his paintings often reflected his attempts to reflect
contemporary issues. His best known painting is The
Wrestlers. George Luks, who
taught for many years at the Arts
Students League,
died in 1933.
(1)
Stuart Davis on the teaching of Robert
Henri.
He would talk about the paintings we brought in for three of four
hours, and in the process of talking about those pictures he would
criticize them not from the standpoint of some pre-established norm
of excellence, but in relation to his own ideas. He'd talk about his
own interests while he was talking about the painting and in the way,
since he had more experience, more purposeful experience with culture
in general than the crew of youths who were there, his discussions
were very educational affairs.
(2) Robert
Henri, My
People, The Craftsman: Volume 27 (February, 1917)
It
is disorder in the mind of man that produces chaos of the kind that
brings about such a war as we are today overwhelmed with. it is the
failure to see the various phases of life in their ultimate relation
that brings about militarism, slavery, the longing of one nation to
conquer another, the willingness to destroy for selfish, inhuman purposes.
The revolutionary parties that break away from old institutions, from
dead organizations are always headed by men with a vision of order,
with men who realize that there must be a balance in life, so much
of what is good for each man, so much to test the sinews of his soul,
so much to stimulate his joy.
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