DOI issue:
No. 166 (May 1915)
DOI article:Monk, William: An English artist's impressions of New York
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21212#0256
An English Artist's Impressions of New York
had met some'years before when we both lived at
Hampstead. He was most surprised to find me
in New York and at once insisted that I should be
put up as a visitor at his club, the Century, which
was for the rest of my stay almost my home. After
my somewhat rough passage across the Atlantic
and my daily sketching in the none too quiet
streets of New York, the delightful rooms of the
Club were indeed “rest after stormy seas.” I very
much appreciated the club and the kindness of
the members. In the evenings Mr. Janvier was
frequently my companion. He was greatly interested
and amused by some of my adventures and con-
versations while sketching. The friendly interest
taken in my work by dignified bankers and still
more dignified police was most gratifying. I
mentioned this to Janvier as one of the charming
points of the American character. He laughed
and turned a neat compliment, to which I replied,
that I might sketch for a very long time outside
any English bank before being invited inside to
show the drawing.
The street effects in New York are most striking
in every way. No soft coal is burned there and the
buildings remain bright and clean. Down town
the effects are a little more sombre, as the buildings
are higher. In cold weather the wreaths of steam
from the central heating boilers have a curious and
interesting effect, floating across the high buildings
and breaking the upright lines most usefully. “ Up
town,” which corresponds to our West End, has an
almost Parisian feeling: indeed, one is constantly
reminded of Paris in Fifth Avenue. Here the
art dealers have their palatial galleries, showing
their works with every advantage of setting and
lighting.
The illustrations to this article are representative,
though they suffer somewhat from reduction. I
should have liked to give more of the distant views
but as they depend a great deal on colour they
are difficult to reproduce. My plate of Brooklyn
Bridge from below is not included. The copper
was sold to a German publisher just before this
unfortunate war and is therefore not available;
but a small sketch of the structure from another
point is included here. The bridge is, perhaps,
one of the finest subjects in New York, quite epic
in scale and grandeur. The great foreshortened
cables would have appealed to Piranesi. Other
subjects, such as the building of the Great Central
Station, the Woolworth and Municipal Buildings,
also remind one of the older men and suggest
compositions in the Grand Manner. One sees a
huge Corinthian capital hanging in mid air, with
had met some'years before when we both lived at
Hampstead. He was most surprised to find me
in New York and at once insisted that I should be
put up as a visitor at his club, the Century, which
was for the rest of my stay almost my home. After
my somewhat rough passage across the Atlantic
and my daily sketching in the none too quiet
streets of New York, the delightful rooms of the
Club were indeed “rest after stormy seas.” I very
much appreciated the club and the kindness of
the members. In the evenings Mr. Janvier was
frequently my companion. He was greatly interested
and amused by some of my adventures and con-
versations while sketching. The friendly interest
taken in my work by dignified bankers and still
more dignified police was most gratifying. I
mentioned this to Janvier as one of the charming
points of the American character. He laughed
and turned a neat compliment, to which I replied,
that I might sketch for a very long time outside
any English bank before being invited inside to
show the drawing.
The street effects in New York are most striking
in every way. No soft coal is burned there and the
buildings remain bright and clean. Down town
the effects are a little more sombre, as the buildings
are higher. In cold weather the wreaths of steam
from the central heating boilers have a curious and
interesting effect, floating across the high buildings
and breaking the upright lines most usefully. “ Up
town,” which corresponds to our West End, has an
almost Parisian feeling: indeed, one is constantly
reminded of Paris in Fifth Avenue. Here the
art dealers have their palatial galleries, showing
their works with every advantage of setting and
lighting.
The illustrations to this article are representative,
though they suffer somewhat from reduction. I
should have liked to give more of the distant views
but as they depend a great deal on colour they
are difficult to reproduce. My plate of Brooklyn
Bridge from below is not included. The copper
was sold to a German publisher just before this
unfortunate war and is therefore not available;
but a small sketch of the structure from another
point is included here. The bridge is, perhaps,
one of the finest subjects in New York, quite epic
in scale and grandeur. The great foreshortened
cables would have appealed to Piranesi. Other
subjects, such as the building of the Great Central
Station, the Woolworth and Municipal Buildings,
also remind one of the older men and suggest
compositions in the Grand Manner. One sees a
huge Corinthian capital hanging in mid air, with