Jonas Lie was an extremely popular, award-winning American artist best known for his technically rigorous paintings of scenery.  The calm placidity of his Village Street belies his reputation as a fiery-tempered president of the National Academy of Design (1934-1939).  His notoriety and prestige as a purely academic artist who was a natural teacher and leader galvanized many other New York artists to collectively promote more modern leadership for the American Artists’ Congress in 1936.