Mid Century American reproduction print titled “Roofs, Summer Night” by John Sloan

This Mid Century American reproduction print titled “Roofs, Summer Night” is by John Sloan in his bitterest mood, and though it is far from being a mere illustration, “Roofs, Summer Night,”, reminds us that Sloan is a great illustrator. Early in the 20th century, he did some wonderful cartoons for Collier's, Everybody's, and Harper's Weekly, but perhaps the best were in Masses. Roofs comes from a crusader, and it seems all the more powerful because it presents the facts calmly, without the slightest exaggeration-perhaps with some under-statement. One of the most admirable things about Sloan's art is that despite his preoccupation with facts, he never overdocuments. Roofs belonged to Sloan's early Twenty-third Street period. The sweltering men and women are, perhaps, the rank and file of the Tenderloin, one of New York's most vicious districts in the early to mid 20th century. They do not seem vicious, however-merely exhausted, bedraggled, pitiable, and terribly, terribly warm. The glow from the street lights that penetrates beyond the roof ledge has a tropical suggestiveness.

Size: 9”W x 12”H

Condition: Vintage / Antique / Print in excellent condition with yellowing around the edges

Country of Origin: USA