Hochbahnhof Bülowstraße 1922

Lesser Ury made this painting of the Hochbahnhof Bülowstraße, using oil paint to capture a slice of city life. The way Ury handles the paint is interesting because it is so loose, everything seems to be dissolving. There is this real push and pull between darkness and light. The dark paint feels thick, like mud, especially at the top, while the light seems thin, runny, like it's reflecting off a wet street. The vertical lines of light almost feel like drips. And look closely at the way Ury suggests the blurred lights of the cars, like two tiny blobs. It’s like he’s saying something about the fleeting nature of experience, the way things are always changing, nothing stays still. It reminds me a little bit of Turner’s paintings of London, with their swirling colors and hazy atmosphere. There is a real sense of ambiguity here. It’s a painting that invites you to slow down and really look.