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Rooftop Delights

Absorb Manhattan's heat with this etching, Sunbathers on the Roof.

And celebrate urban realist painter and illustrator John Sloan, who was born on this day in 1871! Sloan is known as one of the "Ashcan" artists. This group, which included such painters as Robert Henri and George Luks, was named for its commitment to unpretentious depictions of New York's urban life.

Sloan, who grew up in Philadelphia, began his career as an illustrator for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He moved to New York in 1904, and within the next few years he exhibited at the American Watercolor Society and the Exhibition of Independent Artists. Working from sketches he made while walking in his Chelsea neighborhood, he made paintings, drawings, and etchings that focused on scenes of everyday life among New York's working class.

Pictured: John Sloan, 1871–1951, Sunbathers on the Roof, 1941, etching on paper, 5 15/16 x 7 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Frank McClure.