Brooklyn Bridge 1991

Richard Estes painted "Brooklyn Bridge" with a realist style, focusing on the intricate details of this iconic landmark. I can almost feel him there, patiently layering paint to capture the textures of the steel and wood, trying to get the light just right on those rivets. He must have spent hours studying the bridge’s architecture, because the way he’s rendered the converging lines and suspension cables gives the painting a palpable depth. The twin towers of the World Trade Center rise up in the background. It gives the work a ghostly quality, like it's floating in time. I think of other artists, like the Ashcan School painters, who captured New York's energy in their own ways. We are all trying to say something about what it means to be here, to see this city. It’s a conversation, stretching back through history, about how we experience the world around us.