Urban Encounter
Urban Encounter
Numerous buildings, masses of people, streets, vehicles, and a wide spectrum of activities — cityscape prints attempt to capture all that in a two-dimensional image. Cityscapes are of a human created world, unlike landscape paintings which focus more on views of the natural world. Sometimes the artist tries to capture beautiful city scenes, others explore the gritty sites of urban decay.
Artist Lili Réthi’s career was centered around portraying human constructions—the remodel of the White House, the construction of The Twin Towers, the Brooklyn Bridge—all done with wonderfully accurate details. In Urban Encounter, her lithograph titled City Skyline was made the last year of her life and displays her passion for New York City. John Sloan’s piece captures sunbathers relaxing, not on a beach but on an inner-city rooftop. The starkly commanding image of Waterloo Bridge, Bermondsey London by John Winkler is a powerful portrayal of infrastructure from the past. A few years after this print was made the bridge was replaced.
These three and fifteen other prints from the Gladys Lux Print Collection focusing on urban scenes may be seen in the Lux Print Gallery on the 2nd floor. Urban Encounter was curated by Susan Soriente, Curator of the Lux Print Collection.