Empire State Building, N.Y.C. 1930

Gottlob Briem made this etching of the Empire State Building, New York, sometime in the mid-twentieth century. You can tell that he has used dark, almost velvety marks to describe the city scene, and the composition feels so dynamic, plunging upwards. I can imagine Briem outside, looking up, with his sketch book. It is really hard to draw architecture on the spot. Everything is so precise and geometrical - how do you make it feel alive? I guess you have to feel the city, too, not just see it. Maybe that’s why he chose etching – all those lines create a kind of energy. It reminds me of the Futurists, who were obsessed with the dynamism of the modern city. There is a conversation happening here, across time and place. Briem is talking to the Futurists, and to all of us.