George Benjamin Luks, "Holiday On the Hudson"

 



    Since most of my readers are living in the depth of a very cold and frozen winter, I thought a fun summer image would be welcome this week.  So now we turn the clock back to 1912, here in the United States.   Our painter is George Benjamin Luks (1867-1933) and this is a very atypical work from him.  He is noted for being from the Ashcan School, or The Eight,  a group of rebellious artists intent on showing the gritty side of life, primarily in New York City.  They were committed to realism and direct observation of life.  
   So "Holiday on the Hudson" is almost like a "holiday" painting for Luks.   Here we see a reasonably large group of people climbing into boats, about  to spend a day on the river.   There are 5 or 6 women and 9 or 10 men. Some of the men could be escorts and some hired to row the boats.  But, Luks has situated them in an interesting row right across the upper middle, beginning with the yellow/gold pier across to the far left boat..   The shadows on the water create a rhythm pattern starting with the brown object on the pier and moving across.   I find it interesting that Luks chose to add a simple blue across the top rectangle, water with no obvious movement or obstruction, so the viewers eye is not distracted.
  "Holiday On the Hudson" is an oil on canvas measuring 30 inches by36 inches, unframed.  Luks completed the painting in 1912.   It is part of the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio.   
   Make Art a part of your life, it's a beautiful thing to do.
  
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Comments

  1. Char HarguthFebruary 24, 2022 at 8:50 AM

    (I don't think my response sent so I'll retry) My first thought was - is this a floating bridge of boats?? The yellow deck takes us over to the man in the yellow t-shirt. Boat reflections come toward us, but the sun is coming from the left according to the people's shadows. Yes, the plain blue rectangle at the top is interesting. Women in their finery are going to enjoy this beautiful day. Imagine a woman of today venturing out in a rowboat in such attire?? I love the bold strokes of the water! The "whites" are important. Definitely a pleasant contrast to our day in MN.

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    Replies
    1. Art Expert On LineMarch 1, 2022 at 6:20 AM

      Yes, Char, I too, thought of the women in their lovely clothing and umbrella's to keep the sun away. Up close I wonder who laundered and ironed? Do remember, no polyester back then! But yet, it does look like a very fun, wonderful day out on the water.

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