Untitled (New York City)

In 1927, Ernest Blumenschein was elected Academician by the National Academy of Design, and Grand Central Art Galleries in New York City hosted his first solo exhibition, Thirty Painting by Ernest L. Blumenschein. This image of lower New York City was probably painted during that time. Blumenschein had relocated to Taos, New Mexico permanently in 1920, so he must have regarded his return to New York City, where he lived for nearly three decades, with some anticipation. His depiction of the Manhattan skyline with its numerous skyscrapers bears some similarity to the rugged topography of the mesas and ravines of northern New Mexico.