Using expressive lines, mark making and strokes of varied opacity, Walkowitz captures the spirit of modernism through his exploration of pure abstraction. The simplicity and spontaneity of these drawings reflect the modernists’ radical new approach to painting, which challenged representation and prioritised emotive expression. This piece, with its flamboyant movement, gestural ink markings and flurry of motion captures the spirit of New York in the 1930s, full of change and innovation.

Walkowitz marks form blurred spots, cutting through translucent washes of intersecting lines and saturating the page with intense blacks and greys. Overlayed on this dense patchwork of shapes, lines and forms, a series of triangles can be spotted. It is fascinating to stare deeply into the image until these defined shapes emerge from the crowd of markings. The bold and sensitive paced rhythm that these repeated triangles evoke, feels emblematic of the energy of the city.