East River 1948

Cyrus LeRoy Baldridge made this print of the East River, probably in the 1940s, using an etching technique. You can tell a lot about the process from the density of the marks. The etching captures a very specific view of the East River, with a bridge looming in the background, maybe the Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridge, and tug boats on the water. Look at the way the artist uses line to describe the reflections in the water, or the steam coming out of the boat on the left. There's a real sense of immediacy, as if the artist were right there, sketching the scene. The artist’s hand is very present. The dark shading in the lower half really grounds the picture. I am reminded of the work of the Ashcan School painters like John Sloan or Edward Hopper, artists who were also drawn to the gritty realism of urban life, so Baldridge is participating in an ongoing artistic conversation around what it means to live in a modern city.