Smokestack and Tank

Arthur Osver’s towering paintings of America’s skyscrapers, smokestacks and chimneys garnered him considerable international fame during his lifetime, including a prominent spot at the 1954 Venice Biennale. Osver was one of a number of American artists inspired by the modern shapes and forms of urban America, and often painted on long, narrow canvases that mimicked the vertical orientation of skyscrapers themselves. Osver believed in the power of direct observation, and often painted works like Smokestack and Tank directly on-the-spot in the alleyways and industrial yards of American cities. The crisp lines and bold geometric shapes of Osver’s paintings conveyed America’s faith in technology and progress, and were a source of inspiration for many artists as they sought to adapt painting to the conditions of modern life.