Martin Lewis, N.A. (1881-196)2.
Relics (Speakeasy Corner)., 1928
Signed in pencil.
Drypoint
30.2 x 25.1 cm
11 7/8 x 9 7/8 in
11 7/8 x 9 7/8 in
Price upon application
Relics (Speakeasy Corner). McCarron 74. Edition 100. (111 were printed). A definitive masterpiece of the American 'Etching Revival,' Relics (1928) exemplifies Martin Lewis’s unrivaled ability to find high drama in...
Relics (Speakeasy Corner). McCarron 74. Edition 100. (111 were printed). A definitive masterpiece of the American 'Etching Revival,' Relics (1928) exemplifies Martin Lewis’s unrivaled ability to find high drama in the quietest corners of New York City. In this haunting drypoint, a lone figure passes under the stark glow of a streetlamp, their shadow stretching across the pavement in a masterful display of tonal contrast. Lewis, who famously taught Edward Hopper the technical foundations of etching, pushes the medium to its limit here—using a rich, velvety burr to create a sense of atmospheric weight. Relics is not merely a depiction of a city street; it is a psychological portrait of urban solitude, where the architecture of the past looms over the fleeting movements of the present.
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