Among those who have shaped Philadelphia’s cultural landscape is someone who not only created his own art, but also influenced the development of the now-renowned Barnes collection in the early 20th century. WRTI’s Susan Lewis has more on realist painter and Barnes confidant William Glackens (1870-1938).
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Glackens was an illustrator for newspapers and magazines, and a painter. He moved to New York, traveled to Europe, and always painted the world around him, says art historian Avis Berman - from gritty street scenes to women shopping. His style evolved, as he experimented with brushwork and brighter colors.
"Someone made a comment – theses paintings are so bright, your early works, and he said, 'They’re like mud; life’s not like that, there is color in life.' He wanted a truth – first a narrative truth about what people were doing, now going towards an artistic truth."
"The most valuable single educational factor to me has been my frequent association with a life-long friend who combines greatness as an artist with a big man's mind."--Albert C. Barnes
In 1911, his friend from Central High School, Albert Barnes, gave him $20,000 to go to Paris to help Barnes build his art collection. Glackens came back with 33 paintings and works on paper, "including the great Van Gogh portrait The Postman, Picasso's Young Woman Holding a Cigarette - an extremely tough picture - and a Cezanne, a Renoir, and many more. So it really is the beginning..."
As to why Glackens himself is not better known, Berman– who has put together a comprehensive survey of his work - says he’s not been given due consideration.
"People saw him as an imitator of Renoir...and I really didn’t think it was all about Renoir. I see more diversity and more depth, but also a lot of his work has been hidden away in museums and private collections."
Over the years, Barnes bought more than 60 works by Glackens for his collection.
