GLOUCESTER, MASS.- One of the country’s most important painters of the early 20th century, John Sloan (1871-1951) made his name painting urban daily life in New York City before coming to Cape Ann for five summers (1914-1918) to paint scenes of the sea, marshes, homes, rocky outcroppings, downtown views, and landscapes that proved to be a hallmark of his career.

In a special loan exhibition, the Cape Ann Museum will feature 39 paintings that Sloan created while in Gloucester, thought to be among his finest work and most prolific period. The Museum holds five major paintings in its permanent collection and will be borrowing 30 more pieces for the exhibit from a wide-reaching network of institutions across the country. JOHN SLOAN Gloucester Days opens July 11 and runs through Nov. 29.

Sloan was born in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania in 1871, grew up in Philadelphia, and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 1904, he moved to New York City where he affiliated with a group of artists known as “The Eight;” in addition to Sloan, the group included Robert Henri, Maurice Prendergast, William Glackens, Everett Shinn, Arthur Davies, Ernest Lawson, and George Luks. The Eight evolved into the better-known Ashcan School, a loose-knit group of artists who sought to capture the reality of daily life in New York City.

The forward-thinking Armory Show of 1913 in New York was a turning point for Sloan. Inspired by the progressive work he saw there, Sloan sought new venues for painting. He was invited by fellow artist and friend Charles Allan Winter to Gloucester in the summer of 1914, and together they rented a little red cottage near Rocky Neck where Sloan would often paint two landscapes a day. The house was a popular gathering spot for many of their friends, including Stuart Davis. The red cottage still stands on Gloucester’s East Main Street.

Intrigued by the lush green seaside grass juxtaposed against the blue sea, Sloan captured recognizable scenes downtown and along the shoreline. He returned to Cape Ann for four more summers. “After coming back with our easels, canvases, and paint boxes, we would each sit in a corner of the dining room to study our work,” Sloan recalled. “One summer Stuart Davis and family shared the cottage. We went out painting together. All of us were interested in developing different orchestrations of color on the palette.” By 1919, Sloan sought new landscapes for his work and moved to New Mexico.

Cape Ann Museum’s Sloan collection includes: Sunflowers, Rocky Neck, 1914; Old Cone (Uncle Sam) 1914; Glare on the Bay, c. 1914; Red Warehouses at Gloucester, 1914; and Dogtown, Ruined Blue Fences, 1916.

The exhibition will also feature additional paintings on loan from the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College; Lehigh University Art Galleries; Arkell Museum in Canajoharie, NY; Bowdoin College Museum of Art; Syracuse University Art Collection; Delaware Art Museum; Duke University Museum of Art; University of Washington Museum of Art; Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach, FL; New Britain Museum of American Art; Tacoma Art Museum; Kraushaar Galleries; Parrish Art Museum in NY; as well as private collections.

“Gloucester afforded the first opportunity for continuous work in landscape, and I really made the most of it,” Sloan recalled. “Working from nature gives, I believe, the best means of advance in color and spontaneous design.”