Across Gowanus Canal
by Aaron Gelman
Reader Carey A. came across this wonderful painting by Aaron Gelman of the Gowanus Canal. The oil on canvas work is part of the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. It was painted circa 1943.
According to Wikipedia, Aaron Gelman was born in 1899 to Jewish immigrant parents, lived in Brooklyn, and was part of the New York School of Painting. He passed away in Tel Aviv in 1970.
I am not entirely sure what part of the Gowanus is pictured. Does anyone have a clue? Would love to know.
Thanks to Carey for letting us know about this painting.
Both identified the location as the Metropolitan Gas Plant, where Lowe's and Pathmark stand today.
Eymund writes:
My guess is Aaron was standing on the banks of the Gowanus near Bay Street and Smith Street, looking northeast at the Metropolitan Gas Plant Holding Tank, (now Lowes). He is painting the bridge towers of the old Hamilton Avenue Bridge.
The site he was standing on was the mouth of the now landfilled Red Hook Canal, a shortcut dug by colonial settlers across the Seabring marshes.
Because of WW1 hysteria, the adjacent Vienna Street was renamed Lorraine Street (after French Alsace Lorraine). You can see a piece of carved stone "war ballast" dug out from the spot where Aaron painted at the Hall of the Gowanus (543 Union Street). Such rubble from bombed WWII British cities was used to build up the City's shoreline.
Thanks to Carey for letting us know about this painting.
*****UPDATE****
Both Brian Carr of EPA Region 2 and Eymund Diegel, Gowanus resident and friend independently forwarded me the photo below taken in 1933 from the Brooklyn Puplic Library archive.Both identified the location as the Metropolitan Gas Plant, where Lowe's and Pathmark stand today.
Eymund writes:
My guess is Aaron was standing on the banks of the Gowanus near Bay Street and Smith Street, looking northeast at the Metropolitan Gas Plant Holding Tank, (now Lowes). He is painting the bridge towers of the old Hamilton Avenue Bridge.
The site he was standing on was the mouth of the now landfilled Red Hook Canal, a shortcut dug by colonial settlers across the Seabring marshes.
Because of WW1 hysteria, the adjacent Vienna Street was renamed Lorraine Street (after French Alsace Lorraine). You can see a piece of carved stone "war ballast" dug out from the spot where Aaron painted at the Hall of the Gowanus (543 Union Street). Such rubble from bombed WWII British cities was used to build up the City's shoreline.
.JPG)
