Everett Shinn - New York and 'The Eight'

New York and 'The Eight'

In 1897, Shinn was offered a higher paying job as an illustrator for the New York newspaper, The World. He moved there and was joined shortly there after by his wife, Flossie, and by other members of the Charcoal Club. Shinn enjoyed living in the city and observing the eccentric daily hustle and bustle exemplified by living in New York. Much of Shinn's life and opinions were reflected in his work. His life in New York was a major subject in many of his paintings. His fascination with the urban changes and city revolutions was evident in paintings like Fire on Mott Street and Fight. Shinn often depicted scenes of drama and violence, rallying for social change and urban understanding. Coinciding with the dramatic themes found throughout his work, theatre was also a major subject in Shinn's pastels.

'The Eight,' also known as the Ashcan School, was a group of eight artists that rebelled against traditional academic artistic standards. Their name was established in 1908 when they held their single united exhibition together. The members of the group were extremely diverse in their subjects and painting styles, a fact that contributed to their short-lived nature. The groups style is most commonly associated with the realist movement in modern art.

In the years of 1901-1910 Shinn began to experiment more with subjects in his work, gaining respect from art critics slowly but progressively. His paintings began to include the subject of theatre, something he is known for now and he became an acclaimed used of pastels. During this time, he also did several murals, including one for the Belasco Stuyvesant Theatre that was eighteen panels.