Corner

Art Historical Context

Created in 1941 by artist Isobel Bates, “Corner” captures a quiet architectural scene rendered in gouache on paperboard. Measuring roughly 15 by 20 inches, the work belongs to the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art and was acquired in 1943 the New York City Works Progress Administration. Its classification among drawings highlights the artist’s skillful use of opaque watercolor to suggest solid forms and subtle light effects on urban structures. The timing of the piece places it at the close of the Great Depression era, when the WPA continued to support American a...