Leon Kroll remained a painter of realism at a time when the American art world was moving rapidly into abstraction and other styles that fell under the general term of modernism. Nevertheless, asserting that he liked easy-to-recognize subjects that created a sense of that which was warm, sympathetic, and romantic, he was a leading artist of his time painting lush landscapes, figures, and still life. Other subjects such as his industrial scenes and cityscapes had elements of social realism and were painted with a heavier brush than his other works. He was especially focused on the human figure, and many of them seemed dreamlike in filmy dresses reclining in landscapes.

Kroll was born in New York City in 1884. He first studied at...