Reginald Marsh

            Reginald Marsh was a painter who captured the darker side of life in New York City in the 1930s and 1940s. He was born on March 14, 1898 in Paris, France (“Reginald Marsh, American Artist”). Both of his parents were American artists and it was clear from a young age that Marsh shared their passions (“Reginald Marsh”). While in school, he was constantly drawing and creating illustrations. He later attended Yale University, graduating in 1920 (“Reginald Marsh, American Artist”). He stayed in New York, working as a freelance illustrator and, from 1925 to 1929, as an original staff member of The New Yorker magazine, which remains in publication to this day (“Reginald Marsh, American Artist”). At the same time, Marsh began exploring Europe. It was during these trips that he observed the works of the Old Masters, sparking his interest in painting (“Reginald Marsh, American Artist”). With his newfound passion, he studied at the Art Students League of New York throughout the 1920s, working with other famous artists including George Luks, Kenneth Hayes Miller, and John Sloan (“Reginald Marsh, American Artist”). From these artists, he found his main subject matter: urban life. In 1929, he rented a studio on Fourteenth Street, starting his career as a New York City artist (“Reginald Marsh”). Marsh often depicted seedier areas of New York: Coney Island, burlesque parlors, dance halls, the Bowery, and the subway (“Reginald Marsh”). He also painted a wide array of people including bums, dancers, musclemen, and street walkers (“Reginald Marsh”). His works were quick to gain attention, being featured in galleries such as the Yale University Art Gallery and the Whitney Museum of American Art (“Reginald Marsh”). Beginning in 1934 and 1949, respectively, he taught at the Art Students League and at the Moore Institute of Art, Science, and Industry (“Reginald Marsh, American Artist”). As the 1940s came to a close, many of the unsavory places Marsh depicted were closing and being forced out of the city by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia (“Reginald Marsh”). He continued to paint the fading landscape until his untimely death in 1954. Dying in Dorset, Vermont, he was only 56 years old.

The works of Reginald Marsh deeply reflect the social, economic, and cultural climate of the 1930s and 1940s. The 1920s had been a decade of great wealth and excess. This soaring decade, however, crashed in 1929 as a result of speculation in the stock market and a lack of banking regulations. In October, The Great Crash occurred, resulting in the plummeting stock prices, the failing of banks, and the closing of businesses (Kennedy). The Great Depression had begun. In the year 1932, it is estimated that 13,000,000 Americans were out of work in spite of being capable and willing (Kennedy). A certain sadness and submissiveness was noted in society, as many Americans just seemed to accept the situation. Methods of scraping by, such as Hoovervilles, shanty towns built by homeless workers, and long bread lines came to represent this era. These underappreciated, forgotten Americans became the subjects of Marsh’s paintings.

Marsh was not a painter with an agenda. In spite of his frequent depictions of poverty in New York, he was nonjudgmental and made no overall statement about social inequality. He painted with the purpose of showing the raw, uncensored lifestyle of those affected by the harsh economic climate. His art was about the lifestyles, characters, morals, and norms of New York. He depicted many misunderstood and mistrusted characters of New York. He also focused on transgressions from moral codes, especially regarding sexuality and gender. He tends to separate male and female subjects, centering on exhibitionism and voyeurism (“Reginald Marsh”). Men are often shown admiring beautiful, bold, detailed women in sexual poses and situations (“Reginald Marsh”). Interestingly, Marsh never degrades women in his artwork (“Reginald Marsh”).

While Marsh created hundreds of drawings and paintings over the course of his career, there are several noteworthy pieces that capture his environment in detail. First, there is Bread Line (1929), an etching created shortly before his transition to painting. Created in the year that the Great Depression began, shows a line of men waiting for food. All of these men are darkened by shadows and wearing sad expressions on their faces. The line is implied to be large, cut off by the edge of the plate. In the foreground, there is a man shrouded in shadows. Based upon his shabby clothing and hung head, he is clearly struggling. Between the two regions of shadow is one of light, inhabited by women in fine clothing. Overall, this image captures the economic and social climate: downcast for the vast majority.

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Then, there is The Bowery, a painting from 1930 that depicts bums, outcasts, and other impoverished men wandering The Bowery. Surrounded by illuminated signs, the shabby clothing, dirty environment, and sullen expressions on the men’s faces are evident of the turbulent time. This crestfallen crowd is quite large, extending far into the background. With no money and sometimes, no home, these men have no place but the Bowery.

            Next, there is Why Not Use the “L”?, another painting from 1930. The focal point of this painting is a man in gray clothing, asleep on the L train. A newspaper lies at his feet. Two women are also shown in the painting, but they are not interacting with the man. Both are wearing neutral expressions and one is reading a newspaper. Perhaps there is no good news to be reported. While not as depressing as the previous pieces, it has notions of exhaustion and worry. This reflects the stressful climate of the Depression; the constant problems and hunt for work were bound to be stressful and tiring.

            Lastly, there is Tunnel of Love a later painting from 1943. This painting depicts a couple on a ride in Coney Island, which had several amusement parks at the time. The tunnel of love was a dark cart ride that went past a variety of creepy figures. It was intended to make couples cuddle each other in fear, but the couple featured in this painting are having a different reaction. The man in the painting looks fearful and is covered in shadows. The woman, on the other hand, is illuminated and wearing an expression of disappointment. Her striking figure is typical of much of Marsh’s other artwork. The painting is quite different from the others. Rather than focusing on the sadness and tragedy of the time period, this painting focuses on the amusement. Over ten years after the Depression began, it appears that things are getting better, although not perfect.

            With their dark color pallets, use of lighting, and expressions, Reginald Marsh’s paintings capture the mood and climate of New York during and following the Great Depression. With no social agenda, Marsh delivers a raw image of what life was like, especially for those who were struggling, allowing us to understand his subjects rather than just pity them.

Bibliography

“Bread Line.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/366626. Accessed 3            Nov. 2016.

“Cheap Thrills: Reginal Marsh and the Tunnel of Love.” Questroyal Fine Art, LLC, http://www.questroyalfineart.com            /blog/2015/03/cheap-thrills-reginald-marsh/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2016.

Kennedy, David M. “The Great Depression and World War II.” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History,            http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/essays/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945. Accessed 3            Nov. 2016.

“Reginald Marsh.” DC Moore Gallery, http://www.dcmooregallery.com/artists/reginald-marsh.

Accessed 3 Nov. 2016.

“Reginald Marsh, American Artist.” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Reginald-Marsh.            Accessed 3 Nov. 2016.

“The Bowery.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/487717. Accessed            3 Nov. 2016.

“Why Not Use the “L”?” The Whitney Museum of American Art, http://collection.whitney.org/object/1560. Accessed 3            Nov. 2016.