Dublin Core
Title
Description
Uptown depicts an urban street scene dominated by an elevated railway structure that extends diagonally across the composition. The green metal platform is supported by vertical columns and railings, forming a geometric framework above the street. A train car sits on the elevated track; its windows are shining with yellow light that contrasts with the darker surroundings. Below the structure, a single figure walks across the street holding an umbrella. The figure appears dark and slightly blurred in comparison to the surrounding architectural elements. The street surface appears smooth and reflective. On the right side of the image, a brick building corner with a large window and a trash can sits close to the base of the railway support. Another tall brick building rises on the left side of the composition, where a rooftop sign with partially visible letters extends into the sky. Above the buildings, a dark and cloudy sky fills the upper portion of the image. The composition emphasizes strong directional lines and contrasts in value. The diagonal placement of the elevated railway organizes the scene and creates movement across the image. Vertical columns and horizontal platform edges create a structural grid that balances the composition. Color contrasts also play a role in emphasizing key elements. Cool green and gray tones dominate the railway and sky, while warmer reddish hues define the brick buildings. The bright yellow train windows introduce a concentrated area of light and serve as a visual focal point against the darker environment. Spatial depth is suggested through overlapping forms, with the walking figure and street occupying the foreground, the railway supports forming the middle ground, and the buildings and sky receding into the background.
About the Artist
Leonard Pytlak (1910–1998) was an American serigrapher, lithographer, painter, teacher, and lecturer born in Newark, New Jersey. He studied at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art before continuing his education at the Art Students League in New York, where he was likely introduced to printmaking. Pytlak became an active member of the Graphic Arts Division of the New York City Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1941, producing prints and contributing to public art initiatives. Under the WPA/FAP, he completed a mural for Greenpoint Hospital in Brooklyn and developed a body of work that reflected everyday urban life in New York City. Pytlak was a founding member and twice president of the National Serigraph Society and was also affiliated with the Artists League of America, Audubon Artists, and the Philadelphia Color Print Society. His lithographs from the mid-1930s to early 1940s often depicted New York scenes such as the Bowery and Central Park. In 1943, he contributed the screenprint They Serve on All Fronts to the exhibition “America in the War,” organized by Artists for Victory. The work, portraying a frontline medical surgery unit, won second prize in the serigraphy category. Throughout his career, Pytlak exhibited widely, including at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he received a prize in 1942, as well as at other major institutions. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1941. In addition to his artistic production, Pytlak dedicated many years to teaching drawing, painting, and screen printing. During the 1960s, he led a private class for students with disabilities through the New York State Rehabilitation Department. In 1982, the Craft Students League Gallery in New York mounted a retrospective of his fifty years of printmaking, recognizing his contributions to American graphic arts. 108 works at Philadelphia Museum of Art. 22 works at National Gallery of Art. 8 works at The Smithsonian American Art Museum. 1 work at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. 4 works at Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 3 works at Brooklyn Museum. 24 works at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Creator
Publisher
Date
Contributor
Helquist, Morgan (photography)
Source
Object #FA 1404
Format
jpeg, 467 KB
Type
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Physical Dimensions
Frame: 17 1/8 x 21 in.