William Glackens’ use of softly exuberant color earned him the nickname of “The American Renoir”. Early in his career, he painted in a more somber, realist mode like that championed by the other members of The Eight. But unlike rest of the group, including his studiomate Robert Henri, Glackens strayed from strict realism and depictions of the industrialized city, finding inspiration in the work of the Impressionists. Influenced by the work of Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet—which he studied on trips to Europe—he favored a cheerful palette and the leisure subjects more commonly seen in the work of these French artists.