New York: An Abstraction
Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson British
Not on view
On a 1920 visit to Manhattan, Nevinson declared: "Today New York is for the artist the most fascinating city in the world. . . . She doesn’t soothe the nerves, she stimulates action." Nevinson was attracted to the speed, efficiency, and modern architecture he found in New York and declared that skyscrapers were America’s greatest contribution to the world. In New York: An Abstraction, Nevinson effects a forward-facing view from a train rapidly moving through a valley of skyscrapers and tenement buildings as if it were cutting through the city itself. Shafts of light and shadows create multiple planes, which Nevinson compresses into a narrow, claustrophobic space. Nevinson omits the train itself, but creates the impression that the viewer is on a rollercoaster as it navigates what is likely part of the Third Avenue El, the elevated train.
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