Joseph Stella

The Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme

1939

look closer

Imagine you have just stepped into this painting. Where are you? 

What do you see? 

What sounds might you hear? 

Look at the arches of the bridge. Have you ever seen arches like that before? Where?

Joseph Stella, The Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme, 1939. Oil on canvas, 70 × 42 in. (177.8 × 106.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase  42.15  On view in the museum  On view in the museum For Teachers