Fifth Avenue Bridge (McCarron 72)

New York is often called the ultimate metropolis and Martin Lewis has been hailed as the master psychologist of the megalopolis. Lewis' extraordinary images from the 1920s show New York as the eternal city: teeming with life, abuzz with noise, steeped in sultry romance. His images often capture that penetrating natural light of the Manhattan evening as the last of the sun's rays stream straight along the West to East oriented streets. New York is a city leant to graphic depiction. By using drypoint, a technique capable of achieving subtle tones, the artist captured the rich atmosphere of a moment in the city. Lewis was interested primarily in drawing his subjects from life and representing them in their realistic beauty. Looking at his prints one has a sense of spontaneity, of the artist roaming the streets to capture the poetry of life around him.