Brooklyn Bridge 1925

Arnold Rönnebeck made this print of the Brooklyn Bridge with pen and ink on paper. He’s using a really graphic style, not just to depict the bridge but also to abstract the urban geometry of New York. Look at how he renders the water in the foreground with these long, linear strokes. They're almost like blades, creating a feeling of movement, but also a kind of harshness. The bridge itself, with its massive towers and intricate web of cables, looms overhead, anchoring the composition. The texture is fascinating - areas of dense hatching create deep shadows, while other parts are left almost bare, allowing the light to bounce off the paper. There's something about this piece that reminds me of other artists who were fascinated by the dynamism and modernity of urban life, like the precisionist paintings of Charles Sheeler. But Rönnebeck brings his own unique sensibility to the subject, capturing both the grandeur and the grit of the city. Art, just like cities, grows, evolves, and reinvents itself, a constant conversation across time and space.