LESLIE RAGAN (1897-1972)
157
●
NEW YORK / THE UPPER BAY FROM LOWER MANHATTAN. Tempera on board
maquette. Circa 1935.
40x26
1
/
4
inches, 101
1
/
2
x66
3
/
4
cm.
Condition B+: minor staining in image; paint chipping at edges; minor craquelure in image. Framed.
An intriguing and dramatic bird’s-eye view of Battery Park, seen from atop 60 Wall Street, with New
York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and New Jersey visible in the background. “His work
exemplified the American taste for realistic depiction while highlighting the natural environment for
dramatic effect . . . Ragan’s sense of composition and refined wash technique made his best images
burst with reflected light” (Zega p. 95). “Ragan’s cityscapes were particularly noteworthy for their
dramatic perspective and powerful massing of Deco-styled skyscrapers. Appropriately, his New York
City images best communicated the sense of dynamic rhythm and energy emblematic of the skyscraper
age” (ibid, p. 95ff ). Zega p. 101, Metzl p. 157.
[8,000/12,000]
