Reginald Marsh, an American painter and printmaker, was born in Paris in 1898 to artistic parents. He moved to the United States when he was two years old and later studied at Yale University and the Art Students League of New York under prominent artists like John Sloan, George Luks, and Kenneth Hayes Miller. Marsh’s favorite subjects were people in crowded urban scenes such as Coney Island beach scenes, vaudeville, women, jobless men on the Bowery, amongst others.
Marsh painted Social Realist artworks that captured New York City life during the 1920s and ’30s. He exhibited his work regularly throughout his career while teaching at the Art Students League of New York. Notably, many of Marsh’s paintings depicted women in lurid poses and situations without degrading them.
Besides being a talented artist with a distinct style, Reginald Marsh did other great things worth noting. For instance, he engaged actively with left-wing politics before World War II and supported labor unions’ activities through his art. Additionally, he worked on several public murals across America during the Great Depression era as part of President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) program.
Overall, Reginald Marsh remains celebrated for his mastery of Social Realism and unique portrayal of urban life through delightful burlesque drawings filled with satire that simultaneously critiqued social injustices towards gender relations for all times to come.
All Reginald Marsh Artwork on Artchive
| Artwork Name | Year | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Monday Night At The Metropolitan | c. 1936 | Tempera And Oil On Board |
| Hauptmann Must Die | 1935 | Egg Tempera On Masonite |
| Twenty Cent Movie | 1936 | Egg Tempera On Board |
| Coney Island | 1936 | Tempera on panel |
| Hudson Bay Fur Company | 1932 | Egg tempera on muslin mounted on board |
| Why Not Use the L | 1930 | Egg tempera on Canvas |
