Fire Off Third Avenue
Working in New York during the Depression, Tanzer produced lithographs for the Works Progress Administration. In this nighttime view of a raging fire, he chose a high vantage point, looking across train tracks then down a deserted street, over an elevated train station, and past a church and bridge before reaching billowing smoke and shooting flames. Small figures peering around a roof in the left foreground humanize the tragedy and convey anxiety. Using monochrome, the artist skillfully reserved part of the paper to indicate bright flames.
Artwork Details
- Title: Fire Off Third Avenue
- Artist: Julius Tanzer (American, New York (Brooklyn) 1905–1963 New York)
- Publisher: WPA
- Date: 1935–43
- Medium: Lithograph
- Dimensions: sheet: 19 3/16 x 13 7/16 in. (48.7 x 34.2 cm)
image: 15 13/16 x 10 5/8 in. (40.1 x 27 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of the Work Projects Administration, New York, 1943
- Object Number: 43.33.1085
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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