The Metropolitan Tower on A Summer Evening 1914

Rachael Robinson Elmer made this view of The Metropolitan Tower on a Summer Evening, I think it’s so beautiful. I can just imagine her layering those colors of blues and browns, the city lights. Imagine Elmer, working in a New York studio with a view, perhaps, or maybe she was working from memory or a sketch made on site? I wonder if she could smell the trees and blossoms, feel the thrum of the horse-drawn carriages, hear the murmur of voices passing by? I see how the tower looms in the distance, solid and reassuring, a timeless symbol of the city, yet softened by the surrounding trees and foliage. The colors are what get me, so muted and subtle and dreamlike. She has really captured a moment in time. This picture reminds me that all artists, even across generations, are in a constant dialogue, borrowing and building upon each other's ideas. Ultimately painting is a way to express something complex, maybe even inexpressible, in a way that resonates with others.