 Off the Pulaski Skyway Howard Nathenson oil on canvas, 62" x 66"; $7000 Exhibited at Village West in New Jersey & You - Perfect Together! show |
"The oil painting Off The Pulaski Skyway is one of a series
of paintings and drawings begun in 1975 and continuing today. I call them "Urbanscapes."
They represent the changing landscape around us in cities, towns, and now in the landscapes themselves.
My inspiration is from direct observation, photography and my imagination. I use all three
interchangeably. I see this world as distinctly different from the world of Constable, Monet,
The Hudson River School and so many admirers of natural beauty through the ages; my work is more influenced by the vision of Charles Sheeler.
The Pulaski Skyway, which I drove over many times when living and working in New York City,
became part of nature to me, even as it represents the presence of the industrial universe.
The smoke stacks, which dominate the picture, were beginning to take on the vertical spaces of trees.
The concrete railing, instead of grass, revealing industrial buildings instead of residences.
I saw and still see somber scenes like these, sometimes surrounded by smoke and steam.
As technocracy endured and advanced we now have more sanitized versions of these power centers, where
there used to be forests, lakes and streams.
I have to say, and I suspect Charles Sheeler would agree, all of this is a stark, ever present new kind of beauty. I hesitate to say where it will lead."
If you are interested in purchasing this work, please contact Howard Nathenson or visit howardnathenson.com.