IRT Elevated Station at Broadway and 125th Street

Rackstraw Downes

1981–83 · Oil on canvas · Modern and Contemporary Art

This painting was executed from the corridor window outside of the apartment of the poet and art critic David Shapiro, during the winters of 1981–82 and 1982–83. According to the artist, he placed his easel to the right of the window "which accounts for some of the extreme tilting effect on the left of the painting." This panoramic scene "was originally chosen because it was a good spot to work in cold and wet weather, but also provided a vantage point onto a highly diverse group of buildings and structures evocative of many aspects of city life ... The title is intended to be geographically specific, so that all elements of the scene may be easily identifiable." Downes noted that soon after this picture, he stopped painting bird's eye views and considered this work to be "one of the more poignant urban views I've done."

Artist

Rackstraw Downes

Date

1981–83

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Purchase, Louis and Bessie Adler Foundation Inc. Gift (Seymour M. Klein, President), 1984