Martin Lewis
Dock Workers under the Brooklyn Bridge
c. 1916-18.

Name: Dock Workers under the Brooklyn Bridge
Brand: Martin Lewis
Price: 10000 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Martin Lewis, N.A. (Dock Workers under the Brooklyn Bridge). c. 1916-18. Aquatint and etching. McCarron 15. 17 3/4 x 23 3/4 (sheet 26 x 31). 5 recorded impressions (including 4 trial proofs), plus a proposed edition of 100 issued by Kennedy Galleries in 1973 (50 impressions were printed). The plate is in the Detroit Institute of Arta. A rich proof printed on cream wove paper with full margins. Annotated '26/100' and signed 'Martin Lewis (L. D. L. 1973) by Louise Deming Louis, the artist's wife. Housed in a dramatic 26 1/2 x 31 1/2-inch black/brown wood frame. There are only approximately 5 lifetime impressions of this subject. In 1972, Kennedy Galleries, New York, planned a reprinting of this plate, with the consent of the artist's estate, to coincide with a major two-part retrospective exhibition of Lewis' work. The projected edition was 100; however after the first 50 were printed and sales were slow, the intended second 50 were never printed. The plate is in the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Paul McCarron writes: "This print has been dated circa 1916-18 based upon evidence from preparatory drawings as well as stylistic similarities to other prints from those years. There are two estate drawings (LDL-287 and -288) which, when placed together, illustrate a continuous sweep of the Manhattan skyline as viewed from the Brooklyn side of the East River; they were apparently done as studies for the background of this print. The drawings bear pencil inscriptions by Lewis: "East River Skyline/ (about 1918)" and "[N.Y.C. skyline E. River (about 1918)." In addition to the skyline drawings, there are five undated studies of single male figures (LDL-223-27), all on thin paper) that correspond to the main figures in this print." (page 67). The iconic Brooklyn Bridge is on the right. Paul McCarron writes: "This print has been dated circa 1916-18 based upon evidence from preparatory drawings as well as stylistic similarities to other prints from those years. There are two estate drawings (LDL-287 and -288) which, when placed together, illustrate a continuous sweep of the Manhattan skyline as viewed from the Brooklyn side of the East River; they were apparently done as studies for the background of this print. The drawings bear pencil inscriptions by Lewis: "East River Skyline/ (about 1918)" and "[N.Y.C. skyline E. River (about 1918)." In addition to the skyline drawings, there are five undated studies of single male figures (LDL-223-27), all on thin paper) that correspond to the main figures in this print." (page 67). The Bruce Museum said of Lewis: "Recognized as one of the premier American printmakers of the first half of the 20th century, Martin Lewis left an indelible mark on the landscape of the art world. Lewis was an acknowledged master of the intaglio techniques of printmaking, experimenting with multiple processes including etching, aquatint, engraving, and drypoint. A highly skilled printer, Lewis created magnificent impressions that captured the energy, bustle and occasional solitude of all aspects of city life in New York. When he moved to Connecticut in 1932, Lewis instigated another topic through his printmaking: country life. This firmly entrenched Lewis as a prominent America scene artist, who captured the intersection between the urban and rural environments and shed light on the slowly emerging suburban culture." Martin Lewis created iconic images that captured the energy, bustle and occasional solitude of all aspects of city life in New York.

Creator:

Martin Lewis (1881-1962, American, Australian)

Creation Year:

c. 1916-18.

Dimensions:

Height: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)

Medium:

Etching,Aquatint

Movement & Style:

American Modern

Period:

1910-1919

Condition:

Gallery Location:

Storrs, CT

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU33525432131

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Martin Lewis

Martin Lewis was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia, on June 7th, 1881. He was the second of eight children and had a passion for drawing.

At the age of 15, Lewis left home and traveled in New South Wales, Australia, and in New Zealand, working as a pothole digger and a merchant seaman. He returned to Sydney and settled into a Bohemian community outside Sydney. Two of his drawings were published in the radical Sydney newspaper, The Bulletin. He studied with Julian Ashton at the Art Society's School in Sydney. Ashton was an English-born Australian artist and teacher known for his support of the Heidelberg School and for his influential art school in Sydney.

In 1900, Lewis left Australia for the United States. His first job was in San Francisco, painting stage decorations for William McKinley's presidential campaign of 1900. By 1909, Lewis was living in New York, where he found work in commercial illustration. His earliest known etching is dated 1915. However, the level of skill in this piece suggests he had been working in the medium for some time previously. It was during this period that he helped Edward Hopper learn the basics of etching.

In 1920, after the breakup of a romance, Lewis traveled to Japan, where for two years he drew and painted and studied Japanese art. The influence of Japanese prints is very evident in Lewis's prints after that period. In 1925, he returned to etching and produced most of his well-known works between 1925 and 1935. Lewis's first solo exhibition in 1929 was successful enough for him to give up commercial work and concentrate entirely on printmaking.

Lewis is most famous for his black and white prints, mostly of night scenes of non-tourist, real-life street scenes of New York City. During the Depression, however, he was forced to leave the city for four years between 1932 and 1936 and move to Newtown, Connecticut. His work from this period includes a number of rural, night-time, and winter landscape scenes in this area.

Lewis returned to Manhattan in 1936 and continued to etch and paint. He taught printmaking at the Art Students League of New York from 1944 until his retirement in 1952. Now he is considered one of the most important American printmakers of the twentieth century.

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(Biography provided by Allinson Gallery, Inc.)