Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Martin Deming Lewis (son of the artist)
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1995
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Martin Lewis
(American, 1881–1962)
Glow of the City
1929
Drypoint on tan laid paper with blue fibers
Plate: 11 7/16 x 14 5/16 in. (29.1 x 36.4 cm)
Sheet: 14 3/4 x 18 7/8 in. (37.5 x 47.9 cm)
Mat: 18 x 24 in. (45.7 x 61.0 cm)
Sheet: 14 3/4 x 18 7/8 in. (37.5 x 47.9 cm)
Mat: 18 x 24 in. (45.7 x 61.0 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1995.42
SignedIn pencil (graphite) bottom right outside of platemark: Martin Lewis–imp; signed in plate in a rectangle, bottom right: MARTIN LEWIS
InterpretationJuxtaposing the slum skyline and a distant glittering skyscraper as contemplated by a solitary woman, Martin Lewis's Glow of the City captures the weary aspirations of the have-nots in an age of inflated, if selective, affluence. Perhaps just having stepped out onto the tenement balcony for a breath of fresh air, the young woman stands beneath layered lines of drying laundry, her shadowed face in profile as she turns her gaze longingly toward the city. Beyond a network of utility lines, a dark church steeple, and low tenement buildings, the illuminated skyscraper shines like a monumental beacon symbolizing the glamour and abundance that characterized the period just prior to the Stock Market crash of 1929, which occurred only weeks after Lewis completed this print. The building has been identified as the newly completed Art Deco-style Chanin Building, New York's most recognizable symbol of stylish architectural modernism until the completion of the Chrysler Building in 1930. Glow of the City contrasts two levels of urban reality: the humble dwellings of the working poor and the aspiring structures of big business.
To make this print, Lewis fully exploited the characteristics of drypoint technique, incising the plate with lines, flecks, and dots to create rich blacks and soft gray tones, which he "sparked" with softly highlighted accents on the woman's dress, the glint of lit windows, and the dazzling glow emitted by the modern skyscraper. Regarded as one of the artist's most important graphic works, Glow of the City received a prize from the Philadelphia Print Club in 1930 in recognition of Lewis's exceptional technical proficiency. The artist presented this particular impression to his only son on Christmas Day, 1946.
To make this print, Lewis fully exploited the characteristics of drypoint technique, incising the plate with lines, flecks, and dots to create rich blacks and soft gray tones, which he "sparked" with softly highlighted accents on the woman's dress, the glint of lit windows, and the dazzling glow emitted by the modern skyscraper. Regarded as one of the artist's most important graphic works, Glow of the City received a prize from the Philadelphia Print Club in 1930 in recognition of Lewis's exceptional technical proficiency. The artist presented this particular impression to his only son on Christmas Day, 1946.
Martin Deming Lewis (son of the artist)
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1995
Exhibition History
Visions of a Nation: Exploring Identity through American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, August 10, 1996–January 12, 1997.
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]
Reese, Albert. American Prize Prints of the 20th Century. New York: American Artists Group, 1949. Text p. 124; ill. p. 124.
McCarron, Paul. Martin Lewis: The Graphic Work. (exh. cat., Kennedy Galleries). New York: Kennedy Galleries, 1973. No. 87.
Swenson, Christine. An American Master: Prints by Martin Lewis. (exh. cat., The Detroit Institute of Arts, Schwartz Graphic Arts Galleries). Detroit, Michigan: The Institute, 1991. Text pp. 7, 11 (checklist); ill. p. 7.
McCarron, Paul. The Prints of Martin Lewis: A Catalogue Raisonné. Bronxville, New York: M. Hausberg, 1995. Text p. 142, no. 77; ill. p. 143.
Jacobowitz, Ellen S. and George H. Marcus. American Graphics, 1860 to 1940, Selected from the Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1982. No. 86, p. 90.
McCarron, Paul. Martin Lewis: The Graphic Work. (exh. cat., Kennedy Galleries). New York: Kennedy Galleries, 1973. No. 87.
Swenson, Christine. An American Master: Prints by Martin Lewis. (exh. cat., The Detroit Institute of Arts, Schwartz Graphic Arts Galleries). Detroit, Michigan: The Institute, 1991. Text pp. 7, 11 (checklist); ill. p. 7.
McCarron, Paul. The Prints of Martin Lewis: A Catalogue Raisonné. Bronxville, New York: M. Hausberg, 1995. Text p. 142, no. 77; ill. p. 143.
Jacobowitz, Ellen S. and George H. Marcus. American Graphics, 1860 to 1940, Selected from the Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1982. No. 86, p. 90.