The Greatest City on Earth: Brought to you by andrew Canada

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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.

Many people believe New York City to be the greatest city on earth. It’s it the most beautiful? No. Does it smell the best? Hopefully not. But there is something special about New York City that can’t be denied. No one knows what it is but they feel it every time they step foot in that great concrete jungle. For this reason, artists have always been attracted to New York and have for years tried to capture at least a hint of its essence in their work. 

East River Park, William Glackens, ca. 1902, From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
This painting depicts the park overlooking the East River in New York. We see a lot of dark tones and people, seemingly strangers, passing each other without a word. This is how the artist may have seen the city. A dreary place where people are preoccupied with their own goings on.
Manhattan, Guy Carleton Wiggins, 1929, From the collection of: National Academy of Design
Ah Manhattan, the must stop place for any New York tourist. In many artistic expresstions we see of Manhattan the city is shiny and beautiful. We don’t get that in this picture but there is still a quiet peacefulness to the painting because of the grays and tints in the sky that may be the sun setting after a busy day in the city.
Washington Arch, Spring, Childe Hassam, 1893, From the collection of: The Phillips Collection
The Washington Arch is an architectural staple in New York City. Here the arch is shown on a sunny day in New York. Slightly obscured from view the artist may have wanted this picture to represent how everyday New Yorkers may pass over what visitors may see and something great or exciting.
Winter, Harlem River, Preston Dickinson, undated, From the collection of: The Phillips Collection
We’ve seen New York in the sun and in the clouds here it is in the winter. The city grows and changes as the seasons pass but it’s beauty and unique feel remains. We also get to see one of the city’s other faces, Harlem as opposed to its more well know parts.
The Soul of the Soulless City ('New York - an Abstraction'), Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson, 1920, From the collection of: Tate Britain
This painting shows the tracks of the New York subway leading into the city. The low angle and clouds surrounding the tall buildings give it a foreboding feel along with the piece’s title.
Skyline of New York, Ahmad Sadali, 1957, From the collection of: National Gallery Singapore
A good example of the many ways the city can be interpreted, this painting shows New York in a more unique way. Buildings are not drawn to look as they normally do but rather outlined and it’s left to the viewer to find them within the lines.
View of Brooklyn Bridge, Samuel Halpert (American, 1884-1930), From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
This piece depicts New York’s famous Brooklyn bridge. The bridge is really the only object truly defined in the painting while other things such as the skyline in the background are blurred together. Even still the viewer of the piece can tell what is what and what some objects are supposed to be.
Study for Brooklyn Bridge 2nd Series, William Clutz (American, born 1933), From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
Nothing in this piece is defined properly. Yet our eyes can show us a man standing alone on one of New York City’s most famous bridges. Perhaps this piece was meant to show that in the hustle and bustle of the city it’s good to slow down and look at things more closely or from a new perspective.
Spring Night, Harlem River, Ernest Lawson, 1913, From the collection of: The Phillips Collection
This painting shows yet another side to America’s greatest city. It shows a calm piece of nature that lies just outside the main city. A more soothing place than what’s found in the skyscrapers mere moments away in the distance.
Study for Brooklyn Bridge Series, William Clutz (American, born 1933), From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
The title of this painting leads us to believe it is another interpretation of the famous Brooklyn Bridge. There are no true shapes so it can be hard for the viewer to tell what the actual subject of the piece is. This painting is a wonderful representation of what New York City is and that’s it’s full of characters who all look at this wonderful place though their own unique lens.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
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