MANHATTAN (FROM BROOKLYN HEIGHTS)

New York, NY

While sketching this view of lower Manhattan across the East River, from a promenade in Brooklyn Heights, I recalled an important period of American history that occurred in this exact place. The initial battles of the Revolutionary War took place right here, under George Washington's exemplary leadership. Way before Manhattan was to become a mega-metropolis, it was seen as a most important seaport, one coveted by the British as an entry to the heartland of its colony, and one which Washington, just days after the Declaration of Independence was signed, knew had to be controlled by his army. The largest of these scrimmages was the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, where the British first asserted control of the area with their dominant numbers. The battle was marked as a loss for the Continental Command. The Revolutionary War raged on for the next five years, until the British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781. If George Washington could have known what his leadership, bravery, sacrifice and eventual victory over the British earned his country, here in the form of this most important city in the world, his hardships and personal doubts would have been more than compensated for by these enduring results.

While sketching from a bench along the river, I was visited by an elderly stranger named Carlos Fernandez (an Italian), who lived in the apartments behind the promenade. Together, we admired the colossal mass of buildings across the river. He complimented my work, and we talked about his love of music. As is sometimes the case, I didn't finish the work while on site; the lower right part of the sketch was worked later from a photo taken of the view of the sketch.