Under Riverside Drive Viaduct, at 125th Street and 12th Avenue, Manhattan 1937

Curator: Berenice Abbott’s gelatin-silver print, “Under Riverside Drive Viaduct, at 125th Street and 12th Avenue, Manhattan," was captured in 1937. It is a powerful study in urban geometry. Editor: The photograph immediately conveys a sense of enclosure, of being swallowed by infrastructure. It speaks volumes about the human condition within these massive, unyielding urban spaces. Curator: Absolutely. Note how the converging lines of the viaduct’s steel structure create a strong sense of perspective, leading the eye into the depths of the city. Abbott's deliberate use of monochrome and stark contrasts emphasizes the structural elements and their relationship to one another. The photograph becomes a network of interlocking shapes. Editor: I see those shapes as also referencing confinement, particularly within the context of the Great Depression. The viaduct, a symbol of progress and connectivity, ironically casts a long shadow on the everyday lives unfolding beneath it. There are stories embedded in those structural underpinnings, economic inequalities made visible through spatial dynamics. Curator: Undoubtedly. And Abbott’s placement of the viewer, directly beneath this colossal structure, generates a dialogue between scale and the individual. Her sharp focus renders every bolt and girder with precision. It’s a study of form meeting function. Editor: Precisely! Think too about the backdrop of the image. The gas holder rising behind the viaduct. It echoes, or maybe even mocks, the industrial promise while overshadowing local commerce, symbolized by the shopfronts trying to survive. What is the relationship between infrastructure and neighborhood, who pays, and who benefits? Curator: The print demonstrates an exceptional grasp of tonal range and compositional balance. The symmetrical arrangement, subtly disrupted by the background details, creates visual harmony. The use of the gelatin-silver medium allows for that incredible level of detail, contributing to its modernism and realist style. Editor: The image reminds us to examine not just what is built but also whom those buildings and structures truly serve. Curator: Indeed, Berenice Abbott leaves us much to consider. Editor: Yes, a picture definitely worth more than a thousand words.