Joseph_Stella,_Voice_of_the_City_of_New_York_Interpreted

During my trip to the Newark Museum, I observed many interesting paintings, sculptures, and artifacts. Artist such as Augusto Torres, Louis Nelson, Durand, Bierstadt, and paintings like Church Twilight by Edwin Frederic grabbed my attention. While stopping, taking notes, and walking through the aisles, I entered to where in my opinion I was going to find the most captivating pieces in the whole museum. Suddenly I was cold and my hands were sweaty. I found myself looking out at the city that has fascinated me since childhood. Without reading the title or its description, I just knew, I felt it; I was now another spectator of the “big apple”. There it was right in front of me, geometrical shapes and colors replacing buildings and lights. The oil on canvas seemed to have its own rhythm where the uses of strong vertical lines and abstract, reflect the aspects of the monumental New York City. Starting on the Westside with The Battery (The Port) to The Great White Way Leaving the Subway then moving to the middle of the island with Broadway and The Prow (The Skyscrapers), and ending in the east with The Brooklyn Bridge. Together, the paintings are collectively titled the Voice of the City of New York by Italian immigrant artist Joseph Stella. The first panel is The Battery (The Port), where sharp, horizontal, oblique, thin lines trace telephone cables and a cylindrical front. Strong dark, soft light colors and textures blend into lines of shadows; it is the Hudson at night. With a smooth texture the artist uses spots of light to show the forgotten lights of the bridge while in the bottom of the panel the movement of the subway is captured on space. Skipping to the following panel, in the center, The Prow (The Skyscrapers) are formed by geometric figures, hard-edged shapes are mixed with the hard texture to form the on growing empire. On the top, the brightness of the rays provided magnitude and splendor to the city skyline. Moving on to the two panels surrounding the (The Skyscrapers) the value changes from the previous dark panels to a light frenetic dance of lights symbolizing Times Square and its splendor. The last panel is The Brooklyn Bridge expanding over the enormous river. Gothic arches and extending thick metallic lines mark the gateway to heaven. The artist uses a perspective to draw the attention to the other side because he himself was witness of the Brooklyn Bridge’s construction. This panel represents the mystery of the modern world, well envision by its artist. The five parts are put together to capture New York City’s energetic personality. It is on its synchronization of color and swooping balanced lines. Each panel captures a moment, a place, a time that is palpable in the memory of those who had experienced the City. The center of interest is The Prow (The Skyscrapers) Stella uses futurism, straight lines, to recreate monuments of steel, capturing the city’s splendor on top of the buildings and the underground subways. Stella uses darkness in the both end panels, and playfully lightens the two panels surrounding the center to create a contrast of elements while at the same time creating harmony and a city momentum. Variety, movement and rhythm are created by each individual personality that each panel possesses because the painter has used five panels like altarpieces found in Catholic churches to recreate a story that is unified in one hold picture. Voice of the City of New York is a master piece. It was hard to believe that such a futuristic painting was done on the 1920s. My visit to the Newark Museum was an unforgettable event. I was able to experience how Stella captured the monumental of New York City’s gigantic art and mathematical precision by using colors, lines, perspective and shapes. What is more important is that Stella expressed emotion and in a futuristic vision interpreted the architecture of his city before our modern times.