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Afterglow

Tall city buildings seen at close range from the water, illuminated by hundreds of lighted windows and suffused with a dreamy light-blue and gray haze. Boats below emit blue steam.

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  • Tall city buildings seen at close range from the water, illuminated by hundreds of lighted windows and suffused with a dreamy light-blue and gray haze. Boats below emit blue steam.

Date:

c. 1913

Artist:

Jonas Lie
American, 1880–1940

About this artwork

Norwegian-born artist Jonas Lie received great acclaim for his luminous renderings of New York City. His unique merging of Impressionism with a bold, painterly realism was admired for its potency and vigor, which was seen as a healthy antidote to the more delicate styles of many American Impressionists. Afterglow also intrigued contemporary critics for its depiction of the city. Many reviewers questioned whether Lie’s gleaming view of lower Manhattan—especially the monumental buildings of the financial district—was intended as an allegory or as a commentary on American economic power and aspirations. In these readings, the glowing buildings suggest a wondrous city of gold, yet one that remains tantalizingly in the distance.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Jonas Lie

Title

Afterglow

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

c. 1913

Medium

Oil on canvas

Inscriptions

Signed lower left: Jonas Lie

Dimensions

127.6 × 153.4 cm (50 1/4 × 60 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Friends of American Art Collection

Reference Number

1914.389

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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