Mike the Bite
George Luks, Mike the Bite, 1928, oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lesley G. Shaefer, public domain, 55.266
This work is on view.
- Title
Mike the Bite
- Artist
- Date
1928
- Medium
oil on canvas
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
20 in x 16 in
- Inscriptions & Markings
signature: George Luks, brushed, upper left
title; date; inscription: [title, date (1928), finger print, and signature], verso
- Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary Art; American Art
- Category
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
American
- Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lesley G. Shaefer
- Accession Number
55.266
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
- Location
George Luk's paintings reflect his varied experience as a newspaper illustrator, war correspondent, and cartoonist. Depicting realist scenes of urban life typifies the Ashcan School movement; his work was rejected by the National Academy of Design. This prompted Luks and artists including Robert Henri and Arthur B. Davies, whose works are on view nearby, to form their own exhibiting group called The Eight. Mike the Bite portrays a precocious boy of the streets. Using wide, fluid brushstrokes and layered color, Luks built up the ruddy cheeks, squinting, mischievous eyes, tousled hair, and rumpled clothing of the newspaper boy.
- Exhibitions
1980 The Phillips Taste in Portland Portland Art Museum
2023 Throughlines: Connections in the Collection Portland Art Museum
