Sixth Avenue and Fifty-Third Street 1935

Everett Shinn made this drawing of Sixth Avenue and Fifty-Third Street with pastel and crayon on paper. The marks are quick, capturing the fleeting energy of the street. The color palette is restrained – a mix of muted grays, browns, and blues, with touches of red. Imagine Shinn standing on that corner, rapidly sketching, trying to nail the feeling of the city. The way he uses line to suggest the elevated train tracks, the buildings looming overhead, and the figures hurrying by. You can almost hear the rumble of the train, the chatter of the crowd. What was it like to make a drawing en plein air back then? Look at how the street vendor's stall has been depicted with a few deft strokes – Shinn captures the human presence. This work makes me think of other artists interested in capturing modern life, like the Ashcan School painters. Artists are always looking at each other, riffing off each other, and keeping the conversation going. There is no end point. Instead, it’s a continuous loop of looking, interpreting, responding, and creating.