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Posts Tagged ‘New York City’

Armin Landeck

Posted in Favorite Things, Influences, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 6, 2014| 1 Comment »

Armin Landeck Cats Paw 1934

Armin Landeck- Cat’s Paw 1934

I have often featured the work of  artists here who work in black and white, mainly printmakers who work in forms of etching or lithography.  For myself, I like seeing the pattern and rhythm of these compositions without the influence of texture or color.  Probably because I am always looking for a new way of looking at the normal and these give me a clear view of their construction, their bones.  There’s something very pure in that.

Last week I wrote bout Martin Lewis who achieved some success with his wonderful etchings in the 1930’s only to fade into obscurity in the 40’s until the end of his life.  Today I want to feature a contemporary as well as an associate of Lewis, Armin Landeck.  Born in Wisconsin in 1905, Landeck came to New York City in the 20’s to study architecture at Columbia University.  He and his wife traveled to Europe  from 1927 until 1929 where he studied art and  became interested in printmaking, producing his fist body of prints there.  Returning to the states and not being able to find work as an architect, Landeck turned his complete attention to printmaking.

Armin Landeck Pop's Tavern 1934

Armin Landeck- Pop’s Tavern 1934

Like Lewis, he documented the New York of the early 30’s, the tonal nature of his black and white etchings creating a perfect atmosphere for the gritty urban landscapes.  The nature and popularity of their work eventually brought Lewis and Landeck together.  Together they opened The School for Printmakers in 1934 but it quickly became a victim of the Great Depression, closing in 1935.  As I noted, it was during this time that Lewis left NY and work soon fell from favor in the post-war years as Abstract Expressionism and other new trends in art took over the city.  Lewis never regained his footing.

Armin Landeck Chair and Table 1980

Armin Landeck- Chair and Table 1980

Landeck, on the other hand, let his work be influenced by the new atmosphere in the art world, adopting more and more elements of abstraction in it.  Without really altering his own unique perspective, his work continued to expand and evolve, remaining vital until his death in 1984.

I like that while I love this work there is also a lesson to be learned here about allowing new influences into your work, not simply cutting yourself off or settling at a plateau at a certain point in time.  I will ponder that while I continue to look at Mr. Landeck’s beautiful work.

Armin Landeck Fish 1963 Armin Landeck Rooftop and Skylights 1969 Armin Landeck Restaurant

 

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Martin Lewis’ Etchings

Posted in Favorite Things, Influences, tagged , , , , , , on February 28, 2014| 9 Comments »

Martin Lewis - Late Traveler 1949I saw a Martin Lewis etching years ago and was transfixed by the crisp contrast of its darks and lights and the easy moodiness it gave off.  I knew nothing of the artist but it was obvious that he was masterful in his etching and in his artistic eye.  I had largely forgotten this artist until I came across a group of his etchings that are coming up for auction.  Seeing them rekindled that same feeling I felt years ago.  Mainly images from New York in the 20’s and 30’s, they often capture a feeling of urban anonymity and isolation, mining the same vein of emotion in which  Edward Hopper worked in his paintings.  This is probably not a coincidence since Lewis and Hopper were friends, Lewis having taught Hopper the art of etching around 1915.

Martin Lewis was born in Australia in 1881 and ran away from home at age 15, working rough jobs for a few years as he travelled and sketched his way through Australia and New Zealand.  He ended up in Sydney where he studied and did illustrations for a local newspaper.  He migrated to the US around 1900, arriving in San Francisco where he painted backdrops for the presidential campaign of William McKinley before finding his way to New York City.

Martin Lewis- Relics (Speakeasy Corner) 1928Inspired by the dynamism of the city at that time, Lewis worked as an illustrator and painter.  It was a 1910 trip to England, where he was introduced to the printwork of English artists such as James MacNeil Whistler, that inspired him to take up etching.  However, it was an 18 month stay in Japan in 1920 that set the groundwork for his signature work which captures light and air and mood so well.  He was active and increasingly successful from 1925 until about 1935.  However, the Great Depression brought a downturn to his popularity and by the 1940’s his work was out of favor.  His work never really took hold after that and he died in 1961,  largely unknown.  In fact, just finding some of the details on his life for this short blog post took some doing.

I think his work is wonderful and evocative and  find it amazing that his work ever fell out of favor.  But such is the nature of art.  But the etchings of Martin Lewis will persevere through the fickle cycles because they capture something elemental and personal.  And that is what real art does.

Martin Lewis- Shadow Dance 1930 Martin Lewis-Tree Manhattan Martin Lewis- Little Penthouse Martin Lewis- Glow of the City 1928 Martin Lewis - Which Way 1932 Martin Lewis New York Nocturne

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Berenice Abbott’s NY

Posted in Photography, tagged , , , , on October 13, 2013| 2 Comments »

Berenice Abbott Seventh Avenue Looking South from 35th Street 1935New York City has long been a boon for photographers, with its constantly changing landscape of dramatic architecture and melting pot of cultures.  There is always an interesting juxtaposition of the old and the new which makes for fascinating viewing.  I am often drawn to photos which play on this contrast and some of the best are the photos of the late photographer Berenice Abbott.

Abbott was born in Ohio in 1898  and made her way via NYC to the post-war Paris of 1920.  She studied sculpture there but came to photography when she was hired as a studio assistant to avant-garde artist/photography Man Ray.  He chose Abbott because she had no experience at all with photography so would therefore do just as said.  That decision changed her life as she took immediately to photography and never looked back.

Berenice Abbott -Exchange PlaceWhile visiting NY in the late 20’s, Abbott became  enchanted with the photographic possibilities of the fast evolution of the city and began work on a project of shooting the landscape of the city that lasted for several years.  The result was a book, Changing New York, published in 1939.  The images of the city shown  here are from this time.

Abbott had a long and productive career as a photographer, dying in Maine in 1991 at the age of 93.

I was really taken with her photos of NY, particularly the image at the top right, Seventh Avenue Looking South from 35th Street.  She captures the beautiful contrast of light and shadow that takes place among the tall buildings and long avenues in the late afternoon.  There is a hardness in the edges and angularity of the buildings that plays off the softness of the light.  Just a wonderful shot, as is this shot here on the left of Exchange Place.  Its unusual proportions with the the walls of the buildings closing in give it a claustrophobic feel while the ant-like people on the streets below accentuate the vast space.  It’s a great contrast that really makes the image sing.

If you like images of the changing urban landscape, especially in those fast evolving years of the early 20th century, do yourself a favor and Google Image the work/photos of Berenice Abbott.  Just plain good stuff from a name that you probably do not know.

Berenice Abbott- Nightview_ New York 1934Berenice-Abbott-Flatiron-Building,-Manhattan

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John Sloan/ Dust Storm, Fifth Avenue

Posted in Favorite Things, Neat Stuff, Video, tagged , , , , , , , on March 21, 2013| 4 Comments »

John Sloan Dust Storm Fifth AvenueI was going through a book of painting that focused on New York City and came across an image of the fabled Flatiron Building, its three sided structure which gives it the look of a ship’s prow making it one of the more iconic building in the city.  It has been photographed  and painted numerous times, enough so that there is probably a book of just Flatiron images floating around somewhere.  It’s a striking building and one that I always am intrigued by in images and in person.

But I hadn’t seen this painting by John Sloan, the American artist who was part of the Ashcan School that painted the reality of the urban experience in the early decades of the 20th century.  I am a fan of this loose-knit group of  painters that includes George Bellows, Edward Hopper and Robert Henri, among others.

The painting was titled Dust Storm, Fifth Avenue and was painted in 1906.  It was an image looking down Fifth Avenue to where the Flatiron’s prow stood proudly as a black cloud hovered above.  On the ground below, the people scurried about  in a panic as the wind blew up huge clouds of dust as it funneled down the canyons of the city.  There’s a tremendous amount of movement in the painting that gives it great impact.

It made me wonder how accurate the image was.  Were these dust storms a normal occurrence in old New York?  It turns out that the Flatiron was notorious for the winds that gathered around its base and buffeted the pedestrians who happened that way, taking hats and lifting women’s skirts, exposing their legs to leering young men who would gather on the corner of 23rd Street for just such a purpose. The police would regularly have to disperse the gawkers which is supposedly where  the term 23 Skidoo originated, it being the phrase they would shout to get the crowd moving.

It’s always interesting to see the story behind an interesting image like the one Sloan captured, to see the real history being portrayed.  It makes me appreciate this painting even more. Here’s a short film from 1903 that shows  the mischief that the wind played on the passing crowd.

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