Telephone Building, Lower New York
Telephone Building, Lower New York
Artist
John Marin
(1872 - 1953)
Date1926
MediumWatercolor, graphite, and charcoal on paper
Dimensions27 × 21 in. (68.6 × 53.3 cm)
Framed: 37 1/2 in. × 31 1/4 in. × 2 in.
Framed: 37 1/2 in. × 31 1/4 in. × 2 in.
ClassificationsWatercolor
Credit LinePromised Gift to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas
Signedl.r., in black watercolor over pencil: Marin / 26
verso, at center: John Marin
On View
Not on viewMarin painted angular shapes that meet and collide, inspired by the unusual architecture of the building itself. The new skyscraper was designed to accommodate its location—filling the parallelogram-shaped block on which it stands, with each of the towers set at slightly different angles. Marin distorted the shapes of the building in his painting, calling forth the unique qualities of an architectural marvel.
Inscribedverso, at center: Related to Telephone Building / Downtown N.Y. / Series 1926