From a Brooklyn Window 1939

Alan Horton Crane made this black and white print, "From a Brooklyn Window," sometime in the mid-20th century. Look at the buildings, so many windows and geometric shapes. I imagine Crane, perched by his window, carefully observing the buildings of Brooklyn. I sympathize with the artist here, the way he has created a complex composition and sense of depth using a monochrome palette. Think about what it was like for Crane to painstakingly create each line and shape. That one window with a tiny figure in it. Did Crane know them, or were they a stranger? What were they thinking? It reminds me of Edward Hopper’s urban scenes, where the mundane becomes mysterious. What really strikes me is the way the artist has captured the feel of New York—that sense of scale and the constant visual noise. Crane wasn't just copying a scene; he was capturing a feeling.