“East River No 1” is a 1927 artwork by Georgia O’Keeffe, notable for its association with the Precisionism art movement. This cityscape exhibits the stylized industrial scene along the East River, rendered in a manner that emphasizes geometric precision and clarity.
The artwork presents a vivid depiction of an urban industrial landscape. The focal point is the radiant, dominating sun in the upper part of the composition, casting luminous beams across the sky. Below, an array of industrial structures, including smokestacks emitting gentle plumes of smoke, form a silhouette against a striking backdrop of red and white hues representing the river and its reflections. The gradient from the deep blue of the sky to the intense crimson around the river adds a dramatic contrast, highlighting the interplay between natural light and industrial elements. The meticulous lines and tonal gradients in the artwork underscore O’Keeffe’s mastery in capturing both the grandeur and the starkness of the city’s industrial facade, embodying the Precisionist approach to focus on form and clarity.
