Study for "The City from Greenwich Village," II c. 1922

John Sloan made this study for "The City from Greenwich Village II" with graphite on paper. It’s so immediate, right? I imagine Sloan rapidly sketching to capture the city’s form. The hatching marks create depth, the city emerging from the page through layers of dark and light. There's a sympathy in how Sloan sees this cityscape; the Flatiron-esque building in the foreground, its blocky geometry softened by the sketchiness of the graphite. The elevated train tracks cut through the scene, evoking movement and the pulse of urban life. It reminds me a bit of some drawings by Hopper or maybe even the Ashcan School guys—that gritty, urban realism. You can sense Sloan working through ideas, figuring out the composition, how to capture that New York feeling. It shows how one artist builds on another's visions. And isn't that what art is all about, adding your voice to the ongoing conversation?