Manhattan Mountains
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View on museum website →Medium
etching
Dimensions
315 x 380 mm
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams
Accession Number
2008.115.5066
Art Historical Context
**Manhattan Mountains** a striking etching by American artist Lawrence Nelson Wilbur, in 1939. 315 x 380 mm, this captures the towering skyline of New York City,oking the dramatic rise of skyscrapers as modern "mountains" amid the urban landscape. Produced during the late years of the Great Depression, the work reflects the era's fascination with America's ambition, symbolizing resilience and progress just before World War II. Etching, Wilbur's chosen medium, involves incising lines into a metal plate with acid, allowing for intricate details and rich tonal contrasts ideal for architectural f...
About the Artist
Lawrence Nelson Wilbur
Lawrence Nelson Wilbur (1897–1988) was an American painter and printmaker whose career bridged commercial engraving and fine art over seven decades. Born in Whitman, Massachusetts, he began his professional training in Boston as a photoengraver before moving to Los Angeles in 1921, where he worked in the engraving department of the Los Angeles Times. In 1925, Wilbur relocated to New York City, enr...