Oct 29, 2019 - Sale 2522

Sale 2522 - Lot 284

Price Realized: $ 42,500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 30,000 - $ 50,000
MARTIN LEWIS
Shadow Dance.

Drypoint and sand ground, 1930. 235x275 mm; 9 1/4x10 3/4 inches, full margins. Edition of approximately 109. Signed, dedicated and inscribed "imp" in pencil, lower margin. A superb, richly-inked, luminous impression with all the details distinct.

According to McCarron, "The location depicted appears to be the intersection of Thirty-Fourth Street and Park Avenue, looking west." Lewis has captured the bright summer sun setting across the Hudson River, its raking light forming long shadows from the figures walking east across Park Avenue.



Among Lewis's most masterful prints are those depicting scenes of New York City life. These prints have historical interest, as the imagery captures the architecture and styles of the time, while simultaneously incorporating ephemeral moments. The time of day, the weather, the lighting, the street-level views--each aspect was important and added to the atmosphere of the scene. Lewis's use of shadows and light to create mood, life and movement is most powerful in his New York prints. Shadow Dance is among his most celebrated works, incorporating all of the aspects that make his prints such cherished glimpses into New York's bustling yester-year, while simultaneously capturing the timelessness of city life. McCarron 88.