Artwork
Speakeasy
Speakeasy is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Glenn O. Coleman. It dates from 1931 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Painted in 1931, Glenn O.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The 1931 oil painting titled "Speakeasy" depicts an interior that includes a woman, a chair, and a table, according to the documented description of the work.
The 1931 oil painting titled "Speakeasy" depicts an interior that includes a woman, a chair, and a table, according to the documented description of the work. The modest furnishings create a domestic atmosphere that, when paired with the title, suggests a hidden social setting. The painting is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, confirming its provenance and material execution in oil on canvas. These visual elements together convey a symbolic representation of covert interaction within an ordinary interior.
Technique & Style
The painting Speakeasy (1931) is executed in oil on canvas, a support typical of easel works from that period. Measuring 76.2 cm in height and 63.5 cm in width, the composition presents an interior scene featuring a woman seated beside a chair and a table. The use of oil paint allows layered modeling of light and texture, while the arrangement of furnishings creates a quiet, domestic atmosphere. The work is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.
History & Provenance
Speakeasy is an oil-on-canvas painting created by Glenn O. Coleman in 1931. The work, which measures 76.2 cm in height and 63.5 cm in width, depicts an interior scene featuring a woman, a chair, and a table. It was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held in the museum's collection.
The painting dates specifically to January 1, 1931, marking its inception as a finished work during the early 1930s. No details regarding a specific commission or earlier ownership chain are provided in the available records, though the work is firmly attributed to Coleman and dated to this period.
Overview
Painted in 1931, Glenn O. Coleman's Speakeasy captures the clandestine atmosphere of Prohibition-era nightlife through a composition defined by shadow and artificial light. The scene depicts a dimly lit interior featuring patterned walls and a tiled floor, where a woman in a white dress stands near a counter holding a tray, with a cat resting at her feet. Behind her, a second woman moves through an arched doorway, while two men remain seated at a table in the background shadows.
Coleman, an American artist known for his contributions to Precisionism and urban realism, utilizes a restricted palette of warm browns and deep ochres to evoke the smoky, secretive ambiance of an illegal drinking establishment. The work reflects the artist's focus on modern American life and his ability to render architectural details alongside human figures with a sense of psychological tension. Created shortly before Coleman's death in 1932, the painting stands as a significant example of his late style, merging the geometric clarity of Precisionism with the narrative depth of social realism to document a specific cultural moment in early twentieth-century America.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Glenn Coleman was an American painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics. Coleman's Still Life was shown at the Whitney Studio Club's twelfth annual exhibit of painting and sculpture.
