George Luks - Personality

Personality

Luks was a born rebel. He prided himself on being the "bad boy" of American Art, and downplayed Henri's influence on his artistic development. Luks was a heavy drinker, and his friend, one-time roommate and fellow member of "The Eight", William Glackens, often had to undress him and haul him to bed after a night of drunken debauchery. Although many sources confirm this tendency, they also equally characterize him as one with a kind heart who befriended people on the street who often became his subjects for his works of art. An example of this is The Rag Picker (1905), in which Luks depicted exquisite details of the elderly homeless person who knew all too well of the harsh realities of the street. Luks's friends adored him because of his humor and the way he inspired them. They understood and accepted his unusualness.