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WILLIAM GORDON SHIELDS (Canadian, 1883-1947) SUNSET OVER MANHATTAN "Wm Gordon Shields N.Y.C., c. 191

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
WILLIAM GORDON SHIELDS (Canadian, 1883-1947) SUNSET OVER MANHATTAN  Wm Gordon Shields N.Y.C., c. 191
WILLIAM GORDON SHIELDS (Canadian, 1883-1947) SUNSET OVER MANHATTAN "Wm Gordon Shields N.Y.C., c. 1912" inscribed in pencil on verso vintage bromoil print 103/4 x 133/4 in. (27.3 x 34.9 cm) 1912 ESTIMATE: $5,000-7,000 PROVENANCE The Estate of William Gordon Shields Private Collection, NORTH AMERICA (1986) Fascinated with the urban landscape, William Gordon Shields traveled to New York City at the beginning of the century from Hamilton, Canada to experience the rapid commercial growth of industrial America. He was soon employed by the American Smelting and Refining Company, and learned about the construction of Manhattan skyscrapers, cultural symbols of capitalism and progress. In this piece, Shields locates beauty in a harshly industrial climate. His love of skyscrapers is apparent in the silhouetted structures piercing the evening sky, while his pictorialist methods soften what would otherwise be a harsh linear composition.