Photography by Edward C. Robison III
42nd Street (Times Square)
42nd Street (Times Square) presents a divided vision of the modern city. On the left, a vibrant mass of shapes, colors, and words expresses the dynamic energy of New York City's entertainment district. On the right, an eerily vacant streetscape recedes into the distance.
In early studies for this scene, Theodore Roszak depicted the rectangular section on the right as a cinema screen. In this finished painting, he eliminated these details to heighten the contrast between the two urban experiences.
ArtistTheodore Roszak(1907-1981)
Date1936
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions69 x 72 in. (175.3 x 182.9 cm)
Signedu.r. and l.r.: T. Roszak
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2012.5
ClassificationPainting
Provenance(Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY); SBC Communications, San Antonio, TX, 1988; (Martha Parrish & James Reinish, New York, NY); Private Collection, New York, NY, 2005; (Martha Parrish & James Reinish, New York, NY); purchased by Richard A. Manoogian [b. 1936], Detroit, MI; purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2012
On ViewYes
This artwork's face covers about 4.6× the area of a standard movie poster.Drawn to the same scale.