   ART STUDENTS LEAGUE This New York art school was organized in 1875 when the National Academy of Design temporarily closed. The founding of the Art Students League reflected many young artists' dissatisfaction with the conservative instruction offered by other schools in the city. Unlike these institutions, the league had no prescribed course of study and allowed students to take part in the administration of the school. In addition to Thomas Hart Benton, Jackson Pollock's mentor, some progressive instructors there have been William Merritt Chase, Thomas Easkins, John Sloan, and Robert Henry. Other important twentieth-century artists who trained at the league include Barnett Newman, Alexander Calder, and David Smith.  
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