At Mouquin's

William James GlackensWW-1905-014265

1905·Oil on canvas·122.4 × 92.1 cm (48 1/8 × 36 1/4 in.)

<p>In this vivid painting, William Glackens portrayed the members of his circle at their favorite meeting place, the New York restaurant Mouquin’s. Jeanne Mouquin, the proprietor’s wife, shares a drink with James B. Moore, a wealthy playboy and restaurateur, while the artist’s wife, Edith, and art critic Charles Fitzgerald are reflected in the mirror behind them. Glackens used vivid brushwork to describe Jeanne Mouquin’s dress, while depicting her with an intent gaze that imbues the scene with tension and mystery. By combining portraiture and everyday scenes, the artist helped usher in a mode of painting suited to the uncertainties and new social activities of modern urban life.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1905
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 122.4 × 92.1 cm (48 1/8 × 36 1/4 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: William James Glackens

Artist

William James Glackens

Painting

American painter William Glackens was a founding member of the Ashcan School of American Art in the late 19the and early 20th centuries. His vivid colors, handling of light, and gestural brushstrokes marked his distinct style, which focused on everyday life in working class American environments. Traveling to Europe throughout much of his life, he functioned as a bridge between the United States and Western Europe, while fostering the development of American visual art. His legacy intertwines with that of his close childhood friend Albert C. Barnes, as Glackens was instrumental in Barnes’ access to and acquisition of European works of art that would become the basis of the Barnes Foundation Collection.

Philadelphia, PA, USA

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