A pioneer in color etching, Ukrainian born Meyerowitz’s early etchings display an atmospheric mood, often equated with the work of James Abbott McNeill Whistler. His expressionism and musical training contributed to this lyrical style, placing Meyerowitz’s etchings and paintings, in today’s art world, as sensitive and poignant depictions of American life. In his own words, “…the artist improvises with paint on canvas much the same as the pianist finds expression.
William Meyerowitz
Harbor Scene with Sailboats
A “gentle modernist,” Meyerowitz’s immersion in classical music – supporting himself by singing in the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera while a student at the National Academy of Design – contributed to his interest in expressionism. Transmitting his feelings without concern for the representation of actual forms – at times a fracturing of forms in a cubist manner – creates poignant depictions of Cape Ann life and livelihoods.