Bowdoin College Museum of Art | - A Window on the Street

Preview image of work. oil on canvas, A Window on the Street 4740

1961.50

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A Window on the Street

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Artist

John Sloan (Loch Haven, Pennsylvania, 8/27/1871 - 9/7/1951, Hanover, New Hampshire)

Title

A Window on the Street

Creation Date

1912

Century

20th century

Dimensions

26 in. x 32 in. (66 cm x 81.28 cm)

Object Type

painting

Creation Place

North America, United States

Medium and Support

oil on canvas

Credit Line

Bequest of George Otis Hamlin

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

1961.50

In 1904, John Sloan moved from Philadelphia to New York to nurture his artistic career and in time became associated with the Ashcan School, a group of modern artists who aimed to portray the life of everyday Americans. In this painting, Sloan turns viewers away from the street and instead asks us to consider those who inhabit the city. Sloan focuses our attention solely on a young woman looking out her window. The contrast of her pale skin and the darker, less visible interior of her apartment creates a sense of melancholy. In comparison to Martin Lewis’ Shadow Dance, on view nearby, which highlights the bright vitality of the street, A Window on the Street depicts how a city can be an isolating place.