The magical “blue hour” in rainy 1940 New York

It’s the blue hour in “Rainy Day, New York,” a 1940 painting by Leon Dolice—a Vienna-born artist who came to Manhattan in the 1920s.

The sun has sunk below the horizon, and sidewalks and buildings are cast in a blueish glow, illuminated by streetlamps, car headlights, and the reflection of rain-slicked streets.

I’m not sure where Dolice painted this moody, magical scene. But perhaps it doesn’t matter. It’s the feel of the city at twilight he’s captured here—an enchanting, slightly eerie few moments whether in the middle of Times Square or on a lonely side street.

Tags: Artist Leon Dolice NYC, Leon Dolice New York 1940s, Leon Dolice Painter, New York in the 1940s, Painters New York 1930s, Painters New York City 1920s, Paintings Twilight New York City, Rainy Day New York Leon Dolice