Xavier J. Barile

A painter, printmaker, and art teacher, Xavier Barile came to the United States from Italy when he was fifteen. He studied at the Cooper Union and Art Students League, but his greatest influence came from his teacher, John Sloan, a member of a group of artists known as the Ashcan School. Sloan and his friends painted scenes of New York's lively streets, and their journalistic eye and antiestablishment spirit captivated Barile. He joined the Society of Independent Artists, a group formed in 1916 to organize exhibitions of contemporary art free from the pressures of juries and prizes. Barile also was known for the adult art courses he taught at his small New York City studio, "Palette Atelier."