New York, New York: One City, Several Worlds

@ The New York Historical Society

by Theresa Herron

From pagoda-like buildings and the Chinese theater in Chinatown to a stroll around Gramercy Park; from a society reception of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s to a homeless man warming himself outside by a trash-fueled fire; from the reality of New York City’s past to the fantasies about its future; from street scenes in sun, rain and snow to sky views with the towering heights of the Empire State Building; from the glittering bustle and scurrying of Times Square to the repose of a hot summer night spent on a rooftop and serene sunsets over the Hudson River -- as different as they may seem, all are images of Manhattan, a giant world made up of many smaller, separated, contrasting worlds. Such is the thread behind “Manhattan Contrasts” on exhibit at The New York Historical Society.

All works in the show are Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century, representational paintings of sites in New York City. No sculptures, videos or multimedia works are included. Though the conservative selection of works certainly does highlight contrasting interpretations of Manhattan, the question comes to mind of whether other genres of art might also play a significant role in reflecting upon the City’s history and psyche. Additionally, more depictions of the quite large Afro-Caribbean and gay communities in New York could have been added. However, the Historical Society has started to expand its vision for future collecting.

Part of that vision is the centerpiece of the exhibit, Martin Wong’s diptych “Canal Street, Chinatown” (1992). The acrylic on canvas painting is the Society’s most recent acquisition for its permanent collection and an indicator of its direction for Twenty-First-Century collecting. Wong meticulously painted two ornate pagoda-like commercial buildings in red, gold and blue from the corner of Canal and Centre Streets in New York’s Chinatown. Other than the street signs and little “M” post indicating where to get the Metropolitan Transit Authority subway, one wouldn’t know it was in New York instead of some Chinese city. A lone Chinese businessman stands in the doorway of a jewelry shop in one building; six Asian glamour girls are in the windows of a third floor beauty salon. So alienated is the Chinese man from the women, and so separated are the women from the doorway providing access to the public and thus business, as if they were cloistered upstairs only meant to beautify themselves for their men. Wong adds at top his well-rendered self-portrait, complete with his trademark mischievous smile, cowboy shirt and cowboy hat with a Jesus image over the brim--all set against an elegant band of Chinese characters and English lettering trimmed with gold leaf. A master of detail, Wong even captures the individual items of jewelry in the store windows.

Another artist who depicts images of Chinatown is Stafford Mantle Northcote in his “‘Hi Hee’ Chinese Theater” (1900) and “Tong Yin Yee Shung Gun, Chinese Laundry,” both oil on canvas. Northcote’s work stands out for his exquisite use of light contrasted against shadows and woody browns. The theater painting shows the drama occurring both on stage as well as in the audience. Again, there is a separation between Chinese men and women. Only one woman is present in the audience, because around the turn of the century discriminatory immigration laws prevented Chinese men from sending for their families. The laundry painting highlights an average moment on the job.

            The worlds of the homeless and the lavishly homed, the loners and the partying socialites, the destitute and the wealthy, are contrasted in the exhibit. John Costanza’s “Cold Night” (circa 1950) features diffused yellows and oranges of a lone homeless man trying to warm himself by a trashcan fire. Theresa Bernstein caught the aura and imagery of a glamorous society party in “Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s Reception” (1924). Dark red parted curtains are painted toward the front of the work, making the viewer seem more like an outsider getting a peek at the affluent insider’s life. Ironically enough, the homeless man seems cozier in his setting than any of the party guests in theirs.

Colin Campbell Cooper’s “Fifth Avenue” (1906) creates a moment from Manhattan’s history complete with horses, buggies and architecture unique to the turn of the century. Chesley Bonestell, via his work “The H Bomb Hits Lower New York” (circa 1950), speculates on the potential future consequences of such a catastrophe on the City. This imaginative piece set in flagrant bright oranges with a huge fire explosion and cloud over a decimated Manhattan reflected American Cold War fears and appeared on the cover of an issue of Collier’s magazine with the title “Preview of the War We Do Not Want.”

Utilizing his sensitive combinations of gray-blue tones in oil paint, Lionel S. Reiss illuminates both New Yorkers in a frenetic hurry, as in “Rain on 59th Street” (1946), and Manhattanites in tranquil relaxation, listening to radio music on a warm summer eve rooftop, in “Sultry Night Concert” (1946). Howard Thain also captures a more titillating moment of nightlife in “The Great White Way--Times Square” (1925) with hazy lighting bringing forth the glitz of the famous square and the excitement of the people strolling about it.

Additionally, a sense of desolation, whether by oneself or amidst the crowds, has always been a theme of life in the City. Stephen Magsig’s “Grand & Greene” (1999) is reminiscent of Edward Hopper’s sensibilities with the sharp browns and grays of a haunting, unpeopled street corner. It offers the movie-set like atmosphere of Soho at night.

Lastly, depersonalization is evoked through Paul Lantz’ “Gramercy Park” (1940) picturing strollers around the park on a cool, leafless, autumn day. Buildings are stark, tree branches scraggly, and walkers faceless. The natural versus the manmade with barren trees reaching upward to where the buildings reach higher.