The Gates of the City

1922

John Taylor Arms

Associated Names
John Taylor Arms

Artist, American, 1887 - 1953

The image shows a detailed view through one of the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge. The point of view is centered, looking directly along the bridge, capturing the network of suspension cables that radiate outward, converging at the top of the tower and extending towards the sky. The horizon is subtly suggested by buildings in the distance seen between the arches of the tower. The architectural details of the bridge are rendered with precise, linear brushstrokes, emphasizing the texture and form of the stone structure. The color palette is soft and muted, dominated by shades of brown and beige, accentuated by the pale blue of the sky. The path of the bridge leads the gaze deeper into the scene, where buildings and faint plumes of steam can be discerned beyond the bridge's tower. The background is filled with a light, atmospheric haze, adding depth and context to the urban setting.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and aquatint in brown and blue on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift (Partial and Promised) of Judy and Leo Zickler

  • Dimensions

    plate: 21.6 x 20.3 cm (8 1/2 x 8 in.)
    sheet: 31.4 x 28.9 cm (12 3/8 x 11 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2004.68.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Fletcher 1982, no. 126


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Paul McCarron, New York); Mr. and Mrs. Leo E. Zickler, Bethesda, 2004; Promised gift 2005 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2004

  • Six Centuries of Prints and Drawings: Recent Acquisitions, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2004 - 2005

Bibliography

1982

  • Fletcher, William Dolan. John Taylor Arms, A Man for All Time: The Artist and His Work. New Haven, CT: The Sign of the Arrow, 1982, no. 126.

Inscriptions

in graphite, lower left below plate mark: Artist's Proof; lower right: John Taylor Arms; at lower left at edge of sheet: The Gates of the City NYPL # 128; lower right: E Welch Estate

Watermarks

lower right: otgade[?]

Wikidata ID

Q76346526

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