Grabach, John R. (American 1886-1981) THE FERRY. Oil on panel, not dated. Signed within the image, lower right, and also on the back of the panel. 5 1/2 x 8 3/4 inches, 140 x 122 mm. In very good condition, framed. John R. Grabach spent his early life in Newark, NJ. Beginning in 1904, he took night classes at the Art Students League in New York City, commuting from Newark, where he also worked in a silver manufacturing company. Among his teachers were Kenyon Cox and George Bridgman. He later became an educator, silver designer and also designed postage stamps for the US Government, but his career was primarily as a painter. He took his subject matter primarily from the urban landscape of New York and New Jersey, and he is most often grouped with the Social Realist school of artists. We have not located the scene of The Ferry with specificity, but given the presence of industrial buildings and machinert in the background, it seems likely that it is an industrial port area in New York or New Jersey.
