Ashcan School

Group of US realist painters active about 1908–14. So-called because of their chosen subject matter, the School's central figures were Robert Henri, George Luks, William Glackens, Everett Shinn, and John Sloan, all former members of The Eight (a group of realist painters who exhibited together in 1908 outside of the official circuit). The group was later joined by George Bellows, a pupil of Henri. All former newspaper artists, their subjects were taken from city life, depicting in particular the working-classes, the poor, and the outcast. Their work is characterized by realistic depictions of crowded streets and dingy slums. They organized the Armory Show of 1913, which introduced modern European art to the USA.