Born in New York City in 1901, painter Dines Carlsen made a name for himself as a still life and landscape painter. Here he made nighttime New York City his landscape, focusing on the men called out to do the rough work of fixing steam pipes while most of the city sleeps.
“Steam Pipe Repair Crew” is undated, and I’m not sure where it’s set. Though the scene takes place likely in the first half of the 20th century (based on the clothes and truck), it depicts a situation that occurs multiple times every night, night after night, somewhere in New York—people doing their jobs out of sight under darkness, when most of us are unaware.
[Cavalier Galleries]
Tags: Dines Carlsen Painter, Dines Carlsen Steam Pipe Repair Crew, New York at Night Paintings, New York City paintings, Street Scenes NYC Paintings
Ephemeral New York 
June 14, 2021 at 4:27 am |
I love this one
June 14, 2021 at 7:15 am |
Me too! The winter scenes of Guy C. Wiggins are beautiful. I would love to own one…
June 14, 2021 at 8:42 am |
Looks like the original WTC in the background. Was the artist still working in the 1970s? And the truck is essentially timeless; box trucks are still everywhere. But yes, a typical unheralded NYC scene.
June 14, 2021 at 9:33 am |
He died in 1966.
Peter
June 14, 2021 at 9:44 am
Thanks – possibly those would be generic glass-encased office towers of the ’50s or ’60s….
June 15, 2021 at 10:41 am |
sketch of the artwork here: http://collection.imamuseum.org/artwork/12114/
June 15, 2021 at 10:51 am |
Truly interesting – thank you.