The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge, opened on May 24, 1883, was not only a bridge between two cities, but has become a muse for artists working within a variety of mediums. The bridge has had the same structure for over 130 years and yet artists continue to showcase it in a variety of ways. It has been portrayed in paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures. Although the bridge has been the centerpiece for many artists, each one has a different and unique attitude towards the bridge, this is shown through their artworks.

Depending on the angle of the artwork it can even highlight different aspects of the bridge, it can be portrayed in several ways. Artists have chosen to showcase the size of the bridge in multiple fashions. Some have highlighted the bridge’s architectural advancements, while others choose to ignore the structure and represent the energy given off by the bridge. Other portraits of the bridge even draw attention to the area surrounding the bridge and the coherence between them. No matter what aspect of the bridge the artist choose to portray, it will always be one of those iconic structures that is identifiable by many, regardless of the change in structure, texture, or color. The Brooklyn Bridge has and is continuing to be a familiar structure worth the attention of so many.

Paul Grotz, The East River and the Brooklyn Bridge, Seen from the Span of the Manhattan Bridge, New York City,  1902–1990

Gelatin Silver Print, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012.175.6

Paul Grotz’s photograph of the bridge magnifies the immensity of the Brooklyn Bridge. The background of the cloud filled sky takes up the majority of the photograph. Then as your eye continues down toward the bridge you see how it fills this wide space. The sun barely poking through the clouds, almost hitting the bridge, highlights its dark outline causing it, and the two cities it joins, to break away from the background. Along with showing the enormous size of the bridge, Grotz also emphasizes the combining of the two cities. His use of contrast between the bridge and two landforms and the background clearly sets the focus of the painting to this idea.

Glenn O. Coleman, Bridge Tower, 1929

Oil on canvas, Brooklyn Museum, 60.35.

Unlike Grotz’s, Coleman did not make any mention to the overwhelming size of the Brooklyn Bridge. To the contrary, the size of the bridge in his oil painting is similar, if not smaller, to the size of the other buildings shown. What does make it stand out, though, is the color and texture Coleman used on the bridge. While the background is filled with pastel and white colors, the bridge itself has a darker color palate. Even though the canvas is split in half and the bridge is not the centerpiece, the dark charcoal colors consuming the bridge make it an intense focal point of the on the canvas. Along with the dark color, the scratchy, streaky texture of the structure stands out compared to the smooth blended forms surrounding it.

John Marin, Brooklyn Bridge, 1912

Watercolor and Charcoal on paper. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 49.70.105

This watercolor of the Brooklyn Bridge does not take an interest in the size of the bridge, as much as it does on the energy of the bridge. Marin takes the very structural and precise aspects of a known architectural work and creates an abstract and dynamic feel. Instead of portraying the bridge as the structure it is, Marin decides to focus on reflecting the energy that the bridge created during its time period. The Brooklyn Bridge has become such an iconic structure that, even with a blotchy version of it, viewers almost automatically know the subject of the painting.

Richard Haas, Brooklyn Bridge, 1985

Charcoal and pastel on paper, Brooklyn Museum, 85.134.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Marin, Haas’s charcoal painting of the Brooklyn Bridge highlights strongly the architectural skill and beauty of this magnificent structure. Haas zooms his focus in on the precise brick work and architectural form all the way up to the gothic archways. His use of smudging to create fog, while using precise lines on the bridge itself also causes the bridge to pop out from the background even more. Not only does Haas highlight the architecture of the bridge, but provides an illusion of the bridge fading into the distance for much farther than the eye can see.

 Benjamin Attas, Brooklyn Bridge, 1972

Chromogenic Print, Brooklyn Museum, 2004.64.2.

The previous works in this exhibit all have shown the Brooklyn Bridge during the day or just before day break. Attas’s chromogenic print shows the bridge in a modern setting during the night. This forces the viewer’s eye away from things like architecture, and Attas seems to be pointing out the relationship between the bridge and its connecting city. Instead of portraying the bridge as an innovative structure, this photo represents the bridge as a pathway into the vibrant city ahead. It is shown as a portal from where the photographer in Brooklyn is, to a whole new city full of life.

Robert Stackhouse, Sighting for the Brooklyn Bridge Project, 1983

Watercolor, acrylic, black chalk, and pencil, Brooklyn Museum, 1992.59.

Finally, a painting unlike any of the rest, this art piece takes a completely different viewpoint than the rest shown in this exhibit. This is the first of the exhibit that we see where the bridge is not the resting focal point. Instead, the red boat has become the center of attention. That being said, the center of attention points directly towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Using this viewpoint gives the viewer a portal into the painting. It takes the viewer to the East River and gives them the opportunity to see the Brooklyn Bridge from the perspective of someone actually in the boat. It provides a realistic getaway for the viewer.