John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 - September 7, 1951) was an American painter. He is known as one of the founders of the Ashcan School of Art in the United States. He was also a member of the band known as The Eight. He is best known for his urban genre scenes and his ability to portray the nature of neighborhood life in New York City, often seen through the window of his Chelsea studio. Sloan is considered a prominent artist of the Ashcan school, as well as a realist painter who accepted the principles of socialism, although he separated his art from politics.

John Sloan was born on August 2, 1871, in Lockhaun, Pennsylvania. His father, James Dixon Sloan, was an art-oriented man with an unstable income; And his mother, Henrietta Ireland Sloan, was a schoolteacher from a wealthy family. Sloan grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he lived and worked until 1904, when he moved to New York. He and his two sisters (Elizabeth and Mariana) were encouraged to paint and paint from an early age. . In the fall of 1884, he enrolled at Central Reputable High School in Philadelphia, where his classmates included William Glackens and Albert C. Barnes.

In the spring of 1888, his father suffered a mental breakdown that prevented him from working, and at the age of sixteen, Sloan became responsible for supporting his parents and sisters. He dropped out of school to work full-time as a cashier at Porter and Coates, a bookstore and print shop. It was there that Sloan created his first works, including pen and ink versions similar to those of Dürer and Rembrandt. He also started engraving, which was sold in the store for a small amount. In 1890, a higher salary offer persuaded Sloan to leave the store for work.

Edward Newton, a former Porter & Coates employee who opened his own stationery store. At the Newton Store, Sloan designed greeting and calendar cards and continued to work on his drawings and engravings. In the same year he took a night painting class at the Spring Garden Institute, which gave him his first formal art education.

He soon left Newton's business in search of more freedom as an independent commercial artist, but it was low-income. In 1892, he began working as an illustrator for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Later that year, Sloan began working in evening classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts under the direction of Thomas Anshutz.

In 1892, Sloan met Robert Henry, a talented painter and charismatic defender of artistic independence, who became his mentor and closest friend. Henry encouraged Sloan in his graphic work and eventually persuaded him to turn to painting. They shared a common artistic vision, and in later years promoted a new form of realism known as the "Ashcan School" of American art. In 1893, Sloan and Henry co-founded another club, which also included Glackens, George Luks, and Everett Shinn.

From late 1895 until the end, Sloan decided to work in the art department of The Philadelphia Press.

The site of the Visual Arts Magazine invites you to see the most outstanding works of this artist.

Members of John Frances Sloan Studios

One of Sloan's most famous works

An example of Sloan's work for the cover of Sloan Mass

.In addition to painting, he also worked on humorous designs for the press