Union Square

DateProbably 1945-1960

Artist Karol Kozlowski (1885-1969)

OriginAmerica, New York, New York City, Brooklyn

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed dimensions: 36 1/2" x 79 1/2" (67.3 cm x 201.9 cm). Framed dimensions: 38 1/2" x 81 5/8"

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Abril Lamarque

Object number1982.102.1

DescriptionPanoramic view of downtown Manhattan.
Label TextKarol Kozlowski was born about seventy-five miles south of Warsaw, Poland, in the agricultural district of Stopnica. Kozlowski came to America in 1913 and began a series of jobs as an unskilled laborer. He worked eight hours a day, seven days a week, as a fire cleaner - "a tough job, hot, steamy, and dirty" - for the Astoria Light, Heat and Power Company in the Borough of Queens from 1923 until he retired in 1950

After work, Kozlowski painted. His favorite subjects -- mountain landscapes, exotic cityscapes, and summer resorts -- must have provided relief from the nearly unbearable drudgery of his job.

UNION SQUARE typifies Kozlowski's technique. He painted this New York skyline on a scale appropriate for the subject with meticulous attention to detail. For Kozlowski, the city was verdant, clean, and poised under a clear blue smokeless sky.
MarkingsIn golden-yellow paint across the top of the painting "5AVE. 6AVE. 7AVE. 8AVE. UNION. .SQUARE. 14STREET. 15STREET. 16STREET."
ProvenanceGift of Mr. and Mrs. Abril Lamarque.