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Description: A Stroll in the Park oil on canvas - - unframed 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm.) PROVENANCE Estate of Ira Glackens, the artist's son RELATED LITERATURE A. E. Gallatin, "The Art of William J. Glackens: A Note," International Studio, May 1910, pp. 68-71 W. Forbes, William Glackens, New York, 1923 I. Glackens, William Glackens and the Ashcan Group, New York, 1957 W. H. Gerdts, American Impressionism, New York, 1984, pp. 278-281 According to Dr. William Gerdts, Glackens began depicting figures in parks and public gardens in Paris in the 1890s. These early works, which are characterized by a somber palette and broad brushstrokes, are very much in the style of Manet, an artist whom Glackens greatly admired. Paintings such as the multifigural In the Buen Retiro (1906), Luxembourg Gardens (1906) in the collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and Cafe de la Paix (1906) reflect this influence. In an article written in 1910, "The Art of William J. Glackens," Albert Gallatin attributes Degas with some of Glackens's inspiration and asserts that both French artists were influential in Glackens's subjects, realism, compositions, and draftsmanship, although the American Painter had his own sense of gaiety and humor. Park scenes were not limited to European locales, and by the early 1900s, Glackens was also painting in New York. Maypole. Central Park (1905) in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is an important example of this early style as well as an American subject. It is evident that by 1916, Glackens's work became greatly influenced by Renoir. Dr. Gerdts asserts that this "conversion" may have begun as early as 1906 during the artist's second trip to Europe. In this later period, these Renoir-like compositions feature soft, feathery brushwork and a rich palette, characteristics very much in evidence in A Stroll in the Park. Glackens's affinity with Renoir was heightened by his friendship with Dr. Albert Barnes of Philadelphia who was an avid collector of both artists' work and for whom Glackens served as art adviser. According to Forbes Watson in his monograph on the artist published in 1923, although Glackens's work was clearly influenced by Renoir, it had a more straightforward and genuine American approach than his French counterpart. "His painting tradition is French, but his point of view is American... The whole attitude is American. The subject is seen through American eyes." (Watson, p. 21) Watson further describes Glackens as "... a painter whose color flows and sings and plays..." (Watson, p. 22) A Stroll in the Park with its lively palette and wispy brushwork certainly portrays this image of movement and gaiety as two women saunter on a path in the park walking a dog. A Stroll in the Park was probably painted circa 1915-1918 given its style and the dress of the two strollers. One of the women appears to be Beatrice, a model whom Glackens painted in 1918 in Beatrice Standing, also in the collection of the Sansom Foundation.