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Emma, Siskind

New York 1

New York 1 Aaron Siskind, 1950

Aaron Siskind’s black and white “New York 1” photograph is of skyline. The buildings within the skyline are black, and the sky above is white. Within the darkness of the buildings there are specks of white. The specks vary in size and create linear patterns across the piece. Some spots within the skyline have more faint white dots. Along with the black skyline having specks of light, there are multiple boats within the darkness. These are emphasized to the viewer because of their contrast to the dark skyline. At the bottom of the piece, there are three boats. Starting on the left, it is the longest boat, and as you move to the right the boats get smaller. Above the bottom-most boats are eight more scattered throughout. Some appear to be upside down or reversed. The boats look like they are cargo ships or ships of war. There is a boat on the top of the skyline that emerges from a dock ramp. This boat is moving into the skyline, almost like the skyline could resemble a body of water. On the top of the buildings there appear to be several exhaust stacks.  

Aaron Siskind, American, 1903 – 1991. New York 1. 1950. Artstor, library-artstor-org.ezproxy.lib.lehigh.edu/asset/28026902 

One thought on “New York 1

  1. Hi Emma. Remember to categorize your posts and to link your media. Good description of the stacks, dark buildings and specks of white. What you are describing as boats is less clear. A larger detail would help make them more visible. Well done.

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