Gist of Art: Principles and Practice Expounded in the Classroom and Studio

by John French Sloan

John Sloan, a highly estemmed member of "The Eight" or "Ashcan School" of American painting, was also an extraordinary teacher at the Art Students League for many years, where a great many of our best contemporary artists were influenced by his remarkable talks on art theory and practice. Chapters deal with many types of painting, technique, and visual art, whole ranges of art concepts and concerns are stated in Sloan's memorably clear, almost offhanded manner, and this edition also includes a detailed chronology of Sloan's career, illustrations of 23 of his painting and 8 photographs of the artist and his studio. A valuable summary of basic art theory and the practice of the art.

Genres: Art

200 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1977

About the author

John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 – September 7, 1951) was an American painter and etcher. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Ashcan school of American art. He was also a member of the group known as The Eight. He is best known for his urban genre scenes and ability to capture the essence of neighborhood life in New York City, often observed through his Chelsea studio window. Sloan has been called the premier artist of the Ashcan School, and also a realist painter who embraced the principles of Socialism, though he himself disassociated his art from his politics.

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Reviews

[Jaime Brannon Haney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this bought this book used and from a recommendation off of a podcast. I tried really hard to like this book, because I thought I should. I didn't. It was hard to read and the views of this man were somewhat sexist, albeit it was written a long time ago when women didn't have quite the rights they do now (or are supposed to at least). That didn't bother me enough to not read it, but the boredom did. I got about 90% finished and finally just quit. I may or may not finish reading it someday. Who knows, maybe I wasn't ready to hear what he was trying to say.