The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Volume 5 Article 10

2002

The Eight: An Art Movement

Jennifer Enright St. John Fisher College, [email protected]

Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur

Part of the American Art and Architecture Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y

Recommended Citation Enright, Jennifer. "The Eight: An Art Movement." The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research 5 (2002): 113-119. Web. [date of access]. .

This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol5/iss1/10 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Eight: An Art Movement

Abstract In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph.

The movement of the early 1900s known as the Eight was an important cultural movement for the world of art, exhibitions, and individual artists alike. Although the Eight weren't as massively revolutionary as they would have liked to be, they were a very effective tool to spark change in the art scene at the time. They were nonconformist painters who helped to pave the way for the rise of private art exhibitions and the power of the artist as an individual.

This article is available in The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/ vol5/iss1/10 1 Enright: The Eight: An Art Movement

The Eight: An Art Movement by Jennifer Enright

Figure I

The movement of the early 1900s known bit more freedom. The Society closely as the Eight was an important cultural move­ resembled the Salons of France during this ment for the world of art, exhibitions, and time (Reich 7). The process of painting individual artists alike. Although the Eight selections by the jury was unfavorable for weren't as massively revolutionary as they Henri and his contemporaries. Henri wanted would have liked to be, they were a very a better way of showcasing his and others' effective tool to spark change in the art work. The Society of American Artists scene at the time. They were non­ wasn't overly successful on its own, so in conformist painters who helped to pave the 1906 Henri played a role in merging these way for the rise of private art exhibitions two separate artist groups back into one and the power of the artist as an individual. (Reich 7). This was the perfect opportunity The eight artists that made up this for the formation of the Eight because there eccentric group--Robert Henri, Everett was now a large target group that could be Shinn, George Luks, Maurice Prendergast, addressed, as opposed to two separate John Sloan, Arthur Davies, William groups to win over (Milroy 45). Glackens and Ernest Lawson--didn't start Timing was favorable for Henri's out with the intention to change the world of somewhat rebellious actions, but if it weren't art. They were quite fortunate that timing was on their side, which gave their cause momentum. The art world was on Figure 2 tumultuous ground, and this group of eight men, masterminded by Robert Henri, was there to give the added push that was needed. The art world that predated Henri and the Eight was in turmoil. Artists were for his predecessors, then the establishment unhappy with the main art organization, the of the Eight as a powerful movement would National Academy of Design in New York. have been much more difficult. In 1898, In 1877, a significant number of artists left Charles De Kay founded the National Art the National Academy of Design. They Club in New York City in the hopes of broke away and founded the Society of bringing the arts community, which American Artists, which gave the artists a consisted of artists, painters, sculptors,

113 Published by Fisher Digital Publications, 2002 1 The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research, Vol. 5 [2002], Art. 10

architects and museum/art school administrators and patrons together. The National Art Club established an art forum in which to discuss and display tine art (Milroy 34). This was one of the first "individual" clubs that was separate from the Figure 3 National Academy of Design. In 1904, De Kay's Art Club hosted a loan exhibition after having been unanimously voted in. which featured some works by I lenri, Luks, Due to the ranking process of the Academy, Prendergast, Glackens and Sloan. This was Henri pulled two of his three paintings from a major step for the groundwork of the Eight the exhibition (Milroy 22). This show was because this exhibition gave these artists the proverbial straw that broke the camel's press and critics were impressed with the back. Henri officially broke from the selected paintings (Milroy 38). Specifically National Academy of Design in 1908 (Reich making a name for himself through this 7). The only option that was available to exhibition was Robert Henri. He was Henri and his friends was a private gallery gaining recognition as an influential leader. showing; behold the birth of the Eight Sadakihi Hartmann, a critic, referred to (Reich 8). Henri didn't leave the ranks of the Henri as "the patriarch of the Cafe crowd" Academy jury quietly. He created quite a and as the leader of "a new movement" (38). controversy in the newspapers trying to stir Even though Henri hadn't established the up support for the newly formed Eight. movement known as the Eight, he was Everett Shinn was a friend of Henri and the making waves for when the time came a few other group of six men at this time, which years later for the movement to take shape. consisted of Sloan, Lawson, Davies, Luks, The tension within the arts community Glackens and Henri, but he wasn't a strong revolving around the National Academy of advocate of establishing what would become Design was growing and, by 1907, Henri the Eight until the controversy broke out and some of his friends suffered from the with the Academy in 1907. He gladly maltreatment that the Academy showed to joined their ranks then and helped them some of its showcasing artists. The jury achieve the forceful movement that was to procedure that the Academy used was as come (Reich 8). subjective as it was frustrating. In this show in question, Henri had three paintings that were going to be included in the exhibition. In the first round of jury voting, two of the Figure 4 paintings received the unanimous vote of a "I " ranking, guaranteeing their inclusion in the show. The third painting received a ranking of "2." Henri would have been satisfied with these rankings until the second round of voting when one of his pieces was On April 4th, 1907, the group of six downgraded to a ranking of "2" met and pooled $50 from each in order to help them financially secure a place to hold their now independent exhibition.

114 https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol5/iss1/10 2 Enright: The Eight: An Art Movement

On April 13th, they had $300 and fo und "William Macbeth helped to make the an old store building that they could use, public accept the idea of the Eight show as a which was called "The West Twenty­ reasonable alternative exhibition, rather than third Street Gallery" due to its locati on a call fo r revolt " (80). The exhibition got (Reich 9). Shi nn had an interest in the mixed reviews, but the public favored the movement before, but it wasn't until they show greatl y. had fo und this Gallery that he resurfaced In the two weeks that the show ran, 300 enough to make a difference to them and visitors would pass through within an hour. to officially join them as the seventh The show ended up m aking $4000 in sales. member of the Eight movement. The set up of the exhib ition was di fferent Rent for one year from that of anything the Academ y had ever at the West Twcnty­ done. The men hung their own work, and third Street Gallery they decided what they wanted to display. was $ 1500, an Also, there were eight spaces of equal astronomical pnce dimension so the work was showcased that the men could completely democratically (Reich 9). This not afford . Luck type of exhibition fit Henri' s vision because turned around fo r he wanted a showcase in which there was no them, however, when jury and no prize distinction (Reich I 0). Arthur Davies got in contact with William Figure 6 Macbeth , the owner of the Gallery, and asked if they could rent a space fo r two Figure 5 weeks in either the fallor winter. Davies also contacted hi s friend, Maurice Prendergast, and opened the For the most part, the exhibition at show up to his work as well, making Macbeth's gallery was well received. There Prendergast the eighth and final member of was mixed praise and cri ticism fo r the raw the movement's octuplet. Macbeth look at life that these painters took on (Reich consented under the conditions of a $500 I 0). Four of the painters, Henri, Davies, guarantee and 25% of the sales. The deal Luks and Prendergast, received praise for was agreed upon and the show was set for their innovativeness, while the other four, opening on the 3rd of February, 1908 (Reich Sloan, Shinn, Lawson and Glackens, were 9). criticized for being too "thoroughly French Accepting William Macbeth into their in spirit" (Milroy 48). One reporter, James ranks would prove to be one of the best Hunker, from The Sun said that, "any young choices that the group ever made. painter recently returned from Paris or Macbeth's gall eries had been running for Munich-the Munich of secessionists­ sixteen years, gaming credibility and would call the exhibition of the eight recogrntton. If it weren't fo r Macbeth's painters very interesting but far from success before the Eight even formed, then revolutionary." However, he also said "that this monumental exhibition wouldn't have their exhibition would teach Americans to been as well received by the public, critics, tolerate and even encourage smcere or the press. According to Elizabeth Milroy, experimentation" (Milroy 48). Many did,

11 5 Published by Fisher Digital Publications, 2002 3 The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research, Vol. 5 [2002], Art. 10

however, view the Eight as a "rebellion what they felt needed to be done in the art group" bu t th ey did not achieve political community: giving artists an alternati ve separati on from the status quo (M il roy 45). outl et fo r their work, di sconnected from the The show in New York at Macbeth gall ery confines of the National Academy of was so successful that the paintings were Design. shipped off to the Pennsylvania Academy Jt is said that where they were also showcased fo r two no press is bad weeks. After that show, Sloan organized the press, and even show to move on to eight other large cities with somewhat starting in September of 1908: Chicago, negative press, the Toledo, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Eight were still Pittsburgh, Bridgeport and ending the circuit making waves. Jn in May of 1909 in Newark, New Jersey February of 1908, Figure 7 (Milroy 48 -5 1). regardless of the As the popularity of the Eight grew, so White Fleet military power controversy did di ffering press reactions. Typically, and a Portuguese murder trial in the news, Glackcns, Lawson and Shinn were favored. the Eight still received press coverage with Henri received criticism that his work was radical rhetoric such as "rebellion" and "not representative of the artist at his best" "revolt" whi ch were terms used by (Milroy 5 1). Davies' press was positive journalists to define them in the women's enough with comments such as "charmingly column of many papers (Mi lroy 77). poetic." Prendergast was looked upon with The one institution that didn't seem to either admiration or disbelief and Luks and take notice of the Eight, however, was the Sloan received equally mixed reviews National Academy of Design itself. Even (Milroy 51). W. H. Fox of the Indianapoli s during the inception of the Eight and Henri's News thought the exhibition was "one of the breaking away from the Academy, it did not most interesting coll ections brought together respond. "The Academy issued no official in the hi story of American art" (Milroy 5 J ). public rebuttal, relying instead on the good Conversely, a Chicago Evening writer called will of the discriminating few among the the artists "tangential personages" and then exhibition-going public who would completely dismissed the exhibition disregard the controversy" (Milroy 23). It altogether (Milroy 5 1). A reviewer from the seems that the Academy was hoping that by Toledo Bee said, "these eccentric eight are not publicly recognizing the Eight that they by no means rebels against the Academy or might go away. That was not the case, its traditions; they are merely individualists, however. bound together in a league of originality and The press latched on to the fact that the unconventionality (51) . Academy was not taking the public bait that Even if the reviews weren't always the Eight had indirectly thrown to them. By positive, at least these eight painters were "dubbing the association 'the Eight,' it [the getting the attention that they wanted in the press] paired Nationalism with the struggle beginning. They had the individual freedom against marginality in portraying the artists to achieve it by setting up and designing the as a valiant band of patriots battling the layout and included pieces of their own monolithic National Academy" (Milroy 27). exhibitions. They may not have been The press was showing how "eight" political radicals or even social rebels, but individuals were trying to take on the they were doing what they wanted to do and massively powerful Academy. The Eight

I 16 https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol5/iss1/10 4 Enright: The Eight: An Art Movement

weren't afraid to get involved and make press, but they were parnttng things that waves, and the Academy was staying silent. made political statements, such as scenes of By doing so, the press was insinuating that the Civil War. These painters were trying to the Eight had a considerable amount of be trendsettcrs by the topics that they power. Perhaps they actually did win painted. These eight men were doing against the organization that they were something that many artists and critics alike fighting. didn't think possible; they were breaking Despite the issue with the process of the away from the main art body, the National jury, the issue of greatest concern that the Academy, and becoming successful even Eight had with the Academy was the fact without its help. As Milroy said, "the that there were more artists and painters in implications of 'secession' feared by New York City than in London or Paris, and Stieglitz were exploited," yet these men did yet there were limited opportunities for so with authority and determin-ation, exhibitions. Art exhibitions were gaining making Stieglitz's fears unwarranted(45). international praise and attention at this time These artists were creative from their hearts and yet, considering the power the New and they weren't afraid to let that be known York City could invoke, there was very little to the public. Even before the Eight being done to accommodate artists. There exhibition took pl ace, in January of 1908, were no facilities established that could hold six of the eight men, excluding Prendergast comprehensive exhibitions of contemporary and Davies, made contributions to De Kay's art in the way that the Eight, in particular Henri, and the rest of the art communities felt that New York should. The small facilities that existed couldn't come close to showcasing all of the art clubs and artists within the state of New York as a whole. This was the Academy's responsibility. There was much inequity within the New York art communities (Milroy 33). Figure 8 The art community was petitioning for an exhibition hall that would be equipped to "Special Exhibition of Contemporary Art" hold everybody. "A great exhibition hall which showcased the works of artists such would in effect constitute an expanded and as Mary Cassett, Eduard Steichen and centralized marketplace, readily available to Richard Kent, making this a very diversified New York artists and regularly accessible to group of different generations, as well as an audience of educated buyers" (Milroy politically different (45). Despite what 34). A facility such as this was not critics and some of the press may have said, considered by the Academy, so in order to there was a sense of political acuteness to showcase the work of Henri and his friends, this group of eight men. they had to create their own exhibition site, The impact of the movement known as which led the way for other artists, the Eight had a lasting effect on the art regardless of how much the Academy community. After the showcasing of the ignored their actions. The press that the exhibition that was "The Eight," the ideals Eight received helped to make them less behind Henri's vision didn't disappear. The politically ambiguous. The works that they Eight caused "the natural tum of events were painting were controversial, as was the which resulted in the 1910 Independent Show and the Armory Show of 1913;

117 Published by Fisher Digital Publications, 2002 5 The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research, Vol. 5 [2002], Art. 10

freeing subject matter and technique from stirred up, but also because they were the previous stifling academic restrictions, painting things that affected real people. and inaugurating the Independent The public could relate and therefore they Movement, which legitimized arti st- came out to see what all the fuss was about. organizcd, jury free group exhibitions" The Eight "were also authors of a system (Pearlman 20). The Eight did for the rest of of self-imaging and promotion that set a the art community what Macbeth did for the pattern for many compat riot successors. Eight. If there is an arena in which Important cultural issues underlie their actioncan manifest itself, then it will. The shared history and the role of the artist in Eight got the opportunity to shine via American society, publicity, self promotion, and the marketing of art; the internal politics of American art exhibitions ... the concepts of 'modem art' Figure 9 and 'modernism' among American artists and their audiences" (Reich 15). The Eight may not have been rebels, but they were trying to change a system in which their

Macbeth and consequently, the Independent Movement got its opportunity from the success of the Eight. Due to the fact that academic painting differed so significantly from what the Eight Figure 10 were doing, all but Davies tried his hand at teaching, in order to break the mold. Not surprisingly, Henri was a very determined, powerful teacher. A student, C.K. Chatterton said, "his teaching seemed visions did not fit. They were successful in revolutionary at the time. We hung on his doing so because their legacy still lives on every word" (Pearlman 2 1) . today in art history and in the process of art Perhaps when Henri was treated unfairly exhibitions. Though ignored by the by the Academy in 1907 he didn't set out to Academy, their actions did not go change the world of art. The fact is though, unnoticed: "The Eight ... made a collective he did: "Exhibiting together as 'The Eight' impression, along with the novelists of the in 1908, they transformed art exhibitions time, whose work resembled theirs as a into political statements and media events, record of celebration of the American scene" and shifted forever the relationship between (Reich 10). These eight men truly paved a the American artist and the American new way for American artists in the 1900s. public" (Milroy 15). With the help of Their influence is felt still throughout the art Macbeth, the Eight were able to create art communities as seen in the progression of that spoke to the masses, whether it be art as a way of life, as expression and as politically, socially, or just for entertainment something to embrace and showcase. The purposes. People came out to see the Eight Eight were not so-call ed political rebels, but during the two weeks it was in New York more accurately, vessels of social change partly because of the controversy that it and artistic expression.

11 8 https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol5/iss1/10 6 Enright: The Eight: An Art Movement

Figure 11

Works Cited

Milroy, Elizabeth. Painters ofa New Figure 5: cover photo: World Magazine 2 Century: The Eight and American Art. February 1908 (Milroy 45) Milwaukee Art Museum: Milwaukee, 1991. Figure 6: Lawson, Spring Night, Harlem River 1913 (Milroy 98) Pearlman, Bernard B. The Immortal Eightand Its Influence. The Art Figure 7: Henri, Salome 1909 (Milroy 86) StudentsLeague of New York: Baltimore, 1983. Figure 8: Prendergast, Salem Willows 190 I (Milroy 50) Reich, Sheldon. Graphic Styles of the American Eight. Utah Museum of Fine Figure 9: Henri www.google.com Arts: Salt LakeCity, J 976. Figure I 0: Davies www.google.com Paintings: The American Eight. Tacoma Art Museum. Figure 11: Lawson www .google.com November 15 - December 30, 1979

Figure 1: Glackens, The Boxing Match n.d.

Figure 2: Shinn, Ballet in the Park n.d.

Figure 3: Sloan, Night Windows 1910

Figure 4: Luks, Daughter of the Mines 1923 (Reich 47)

119 Published by Fisher Digital Publications, 2002 7