At the turn of the twentieth century, a group of former newspaper illustrators turned their sketchbooks on New York’s tenements, saloons, and boxing clubs — and critics said the results belonged in the trash. Meet the Ashcan School: Robert Henri, John Sloan, George Luks, William Glackens, and George Bellows, the American Realists who rejected polite academic painting for the raw energy of immigrant neighborhoods and working-class life. This post traces the movement’s roots in Henri’s newsroom mentorship, its dark, gestural technique, and its lasting influence on American art through the Armory Show and beyond. Discover why their unglamorous vision of the modern city still feels urgent today, and where to see their masterpieces on display. Continue reading Ashcan School 🎨🖌🖼