Untitled (Under the Manhattan Bridge) 1917

This etching, Under the Manhattan Bridge, was made by George Elmer Browne at an unknown date. The image is built up from many small, close parallel lines. Look closely at the way the artist has rendered the buildings on either side of the street; the surfaces are almost vibrating. This mark-making lends the image a great sense of depth, especially as the artist pulls back from the light tones on the buildings to the deeper shadows of the street below. Browne has made this image with many thin, translucent layers of ink, building up a rich texture on the page. It feels almost like you could reach out and touch the grimy walls of the city. It feels similar to the work of Whistler, who was very interested in capturing the atmosphere of a particular place and time. These artists aren’t giving us solid facts, but rather an emotional truth. There’s something beautifully melancholic about this view of the city; it’s a world of fleeting impressions, open to endless interpretation.