Jacob Kainen: The Unknown Virtuoso of the New York School

Even before his time at the Art Students’ League, or attending Pratt Institute, Kainen was a child prodigy, and an accomplished painter by his teens. He had distinct periods within his eight decades of work, each period offering a powerful, new, iconic idiom. Though his work was always well-received, and it would have been easy to become well-known for a particular style, he kept exploring.

Though Kainen could draw or paint in any style he pleased, it was never just to show off, but always at the service of the feeling he wanted. In the 30’s his leftist leanings made him want to create art that anyone could appreciate, so he used a very simple, plain-spoken style in his genre scenes, such as “Hot Dog Cart”, 1938, below, but that same year he painted this felicitous, poetic little gouache of his fiancé, Bertha.