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“This was a moment when there was fascination with the Lower East Side in more established and genteel parts of Manhattan. People would just – like George Luks – come and visit on market days to see the hubbub, to see the activity, to see these exotic foreigners.” — Steven Zucker
“And this type of unidealized subject matter was what was considered most revolutionary about the Ashcan School – the fact that they were not looking to genteel subject matter or genteel areas of the city. But it is important to think about the unequal power dynamics that are really implicit in these kinds of paintings. It’s something that is not readily apparent, but Luks ventured into these areas with this express purpose in mind.” — Dr. Margarita Karasoulas
Among the hardest hit art businesses right now during the COVID-19 economic slowdown and quarantine, are the small galleries exhibiting emerging artists that have set up shops on New York City’s Lower East Side in the last decade or so. In this video from Daily Plinth-favorite Smarthistory, Steven Zucker and Margarita Karasoulas, Assistant Curator of American Art at the Brooklyn Museum, take a close and candid look at George Luks 1905 depiction of the Lower East Side, Street Scene (Hester Street), and see how it resonates today.
At this time, we’d also like to ask you to support the New Art Dealers Alliance by signing their petition for Relief for NYC Art Galleries, Artists, and Art Workers. More information is here, and Thank You if you have already signed and promoted the petition!
