New York from 405 E 54th Street 1936 - 1937

This gelatin silver print, *New York from 405 E 54th Street,* was captured by Alfred Stieglitz, who was living in New York at the time. The monochrome palette and sharp contrasts suggest a city in transition. I can imagine him standing on his balcony, watching the city transform. He’s probably thinking about the relationship between the old and new, or the tension between nature and industry, and then BAM! He has to capture that contrast. The Queensboro bridge in the distance versus the decaying dome in the foreground—it’s a dance between decay and progress, a conversation across time. This piece reminds me a bit of the Ashcan school painters, who found beauty in the gritty realities of urban life. We can see how artists look and learn from each other, echoing and riffing on themes. For me, painting is also about that dialogue, embracing those messy, uncertain spaces where meaning shifts and shimmers.