Artist William Glackens lived from 1870 to 1938 and, for the period between 1908 and 1914, he painted more than twenty portraits of Washington Square Park, including this one. He had a studio across the way at the southern edge of the park.
From previous WSP Blog post:
One of Glackens’ favorite subjects was Washington Square Park, an old city square that separated Greenwich Village, a working-class neighborhood where many Italian immigrants had settled, and the well-to-do neighborhoods north of the square.
Glackens drew and painted the view from his studio on the south edge of the square, focusing on the various types of people who frequented the park. Glackens’ scenes record the mixing of social classes that occurred in New York City.
In his more than twenty paintings of Washington Square between 1909 and 1914, Glackens often repeats certain figures and motifs. He frequently used the tree at the center of the picture to anchor his compositions, many of which depict the same corner as in the New Britain painting.
(This referenced 1909 but the picture above was from 1908 apparently.)
Look for new posts later in the week!
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Previously at WSP Blog, more on William Glackens:
* Portrait, Washington Square, 1910 — William Glackens May 9, 2008
* This is a recycled post, originally posted March 17, 2014.
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