c. 1909

Wickford Harbor, Rhode Island

American, 1870 - 1938

Philadelphia-born William Glackens attended the city's Central High School with John Sloan, a fellow artist, and Albert C. Barnes, who would become a famous art collector and founder of the Barnes Foundation. In the early 1890s, during the heyday of newspaper illustration art, Glackens was one of the ablest artist-reporters for various Philadelphia dailies but eventually abandoned illustration for painting. As a member of the informal group of modern urban realists known as "The Eight," Glackens painted dark-hued scenes of city life. By 1909, however, he had adopted a brighter palette, devoting canvases to the fashionable New England beachside resorts. In Wickford Harbor, Rhode Island, Glackens uses energetic brushwork and vibrant colors to show the piquant details and energy of a crowd.