Joseph Stella, Voice of the City of New York Interpreted
- Submitted by: alunanj
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- Category: Arts
- Date Submitted: 04/05/2010 08:16 PM
- Pages: 3
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During my trip to the Newark Museum, I observed many interesting paintings, sculptures, and artifacts. Artist such as Augusto Torres, Louis Nelson, Durand, Bierstadt, and paintings like Church Twilight by Edwin Frederic grabbed my attention. While stopping, taking notes, and walking through the aisles, I entered to where in my opinion I was going to find the most captivating pieces in the whole museum. Suddenly I was cold and my hands were sweaty. I found myself looking out at the city that has fascinated me since childhood. Without reading the title or its description, I just knew, I felt it; I was now another spectator of the “big apple”. There it was right in front of me, geometrical shapes and colors replacing buildings and lights. The oil on canvas seemed to have its own rhythm where the uses of strong vertical lines and abstract, reflect the aspects of the monumental New York City. Starting on the Westside with The Battery (The Port) to The Great White Way Leaving the Subway then moving to the middle of the island with Broadway and The Prow (The Skyscrapers), and ending in the east with The Brooklyn Bridge. Together, the paintings are collectively titled the Voice of the City of New York by Italian immigrant artist Joseph Stella.
The first panel is The Battery (The Port), where sharp, horizontal, oblique, thin lines trace telephone cables and a cylindrical front. Strong dark, soft light colors and textures blend into lines of shadows; it is the Hudson at night. With a smooth texture the artist uses spots of light to show the forgotten lights of the bridge while in the bottom of the panel the movement of the subway is captured on space. Skipping to the following panel, in the center, The Prow (The Skyscrapers) are formed by geometric figures, hard-edged shapes are mixed with the hard texture to form the on growing empire. On the top, the brightness of the rays provided magnitude and splendor to the city skyline. Moving on to the two panels...
The first panel is The Battery (The Port), where sharp, horizontal, oblique, thin lines trace telephone cables and a cylindrical front. Strong dark, soft light colors and textures blend into lines of shadows; it is the Hudson at night. With a smooth texture the artist uses spots of light to show the forgotten lights of the bridge while in the bottom of the panel the movement of the subway is captured on space. Skipping to the following panel, in the center, The Prow (The Skyscrapers) are formed by geometric figures, hard-edged shapes are mixed with the hard texture to form the on growing empire. On the top, the brightness of the rays provided magnitude and splendor to the city skyline. Moving on to the two panels...