Dead End Beach

The realist artist George Luks (1867–1933) taught Elizabeth Olds to look for subjects beyond the enclaves of the wealthy elite. He urged her to wander New York’s ethnic and working-class neighborhoods, which is probably how she discovered this scene. Using the quick, reportorial manner advocated by Luks, she captured the unsuspected delights of this industrial pier. Olds met Luks in 1921 as an art student in New York. She became his assistant, accompanying him on sketching trips across the city. She learned to observe the realities of modern life, which often were far different than her own privileged background while growing up in Minneapolis.