Houston Street by George Luks (1917). Saint Louis Museum of Art. Photo via Wikimedia Commons [Public domain].George Luks (1866-1933) was an American social realist painter. He is known best for his images of New York City, specifically its working-class and immigrant neighborhoods, and his energetic style seems to suit these scenes’ vibrancy perfectly. He also studied and painted in Europe. Along with fellow American painters of urban life, Luks was part of the so-called Ashcan School that stood against academic traditions of the time. Houston Street, characteristic of Luks’s usual style and subject matter, depicts street vendors in lower Manhattan.
Alexandra Kiely, aka A Scholarly Skater, is an art historian based in the northeastern United States. She loves wandering down the dark and dusty corners of art history and wholeheartedly believes in visual art's ability to enrich every person's life.
Her favorite periods of art history are 19th-century American painting and medieval European art and architecture. When she not looking at, reading about, writing about, or teaching art, she's probably ice dancing or reading.
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One thought on “American Art of the Week: Houston Street by George Luks”
Your timing with this post is so wonderful for me. I was just bemoaning the fact that the only art class I took in college was a four-week “J” course — one semester crammed into the month of January. It was American Art, and I thought I remembered NOTHING. But “Ashcan School” rings a bell, and I’m doing some research tonight.
A Scholarly Skater 
Your timing with this post is so wonderful for me. I was just bemoaning the fact that the only art class I took in college was a four-week “J” course — one semester crammed into the month of January. It was American Art, and I thought I remembered NOTHING. But “Ashcan School” rings a bell, and I’m doing some research tonight.