View of Brooklyn Bridge

Calder's early paintings explore the energy and gritty realism of contemporary urban life. Here his choice of an aerial view heightens the impact of the densely packed urbanscape. The Brooklyn Bridge was a marvel of aesthetics and engineering: At the time of its completion in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, with stone towers taller than almost every building in New York City. The bridge came to symbolize the modernity of the American city.