John Sloan
May 29, 2020
John Sloan studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, from 1892 to 1894. He sold his first canvas at the age of 14. He regularly worked as an illustrator for newspapers such as the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Press, but he also designed advertising and taught himself the technique of engraving. On the advice of Robert Henri, he moved to New York in 1904 and subsequently became a member of The Eight. Sloan was politically active and joined the Socialist Party in 1910; he stood for election to the New York State Assembly the same year but was defeated and stood again in 1915. He trained at the Art Students League in New York in 1916 and was elected president in 1931 but resigned the following year to join the Archipenko School of Art. He joined the League again in 1935. In 1929, he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters. His teaching has influenced a whole generation of artists.
