Justin McCarthy spent most of his life in the small Pennsylvania town of Weatherly. He witnessed significant lifestyle changes with the advent of the automobile and the introduction and popularization of cinema and television. Unlike many self-taught artists, McCarthy came from a well-to-do family. His father, John, was the editor of a local newspaper, the Hazelton Sentinel, and his mother, Floretta Musselman, was a teacher. His early years were marked by the deaths of his brother and father and the loss of most of the family savings in the 1908 stock market panic. He was unable to complete law school and suffered a nervous breakdown, and after several years of institutional care, he returned to his family’s decayed mansion, where he lived with his mother. He held various jobs and grew fruits and vegetables, which he peddled to local townspeople from a series of old automobiles. He found solace and a creative outlet in drawing and painting, depicting both his immediate environment and the varied figures inhabiting the world of popular culture.

The Ice Follies, founded during the Depression by Eddie Shipstead and Oscar Johnson, offered a dazzling spectacle of skating, music, and costume. It is not surprising that these winning elements inspired this painting. The New York Times review of the 1964 Follies at Madison Square Garden described “Candlelight in Acapulco” as “one of the skating routines that offers eight couples dancing to bold Spanish tunes.” In a moment frozen in time, bold brushstrokes exaggerate the skaters and their skates, animating the figures as they swirl around the ice ballroom. The figures’ masklike smiles suggest an approving audience. The coordinated costumes create a rhythmic pattern—crisp black and white are punctuated by brilliant red, enhancing the drama of the theatrical spectacle. The painting is asymmetrical yet tonally orchestrated; McCarthy emphasized movement by using a few unblended colors applied wet on wet. The details are minimal, and the background muted to allow the essential dramatic narrative to come forth.

Lee Kogan, "Candlelight in Acapulco Ice Follies," in Stacy C. Hollander, American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 378.