Corner

Art Historical Context

Created in 1941 by artist Isobel Bates, “Corner” captures a quiet architectural scene rendered in gouache on paperboard. Measuring roughly 15 by 20 inches, the work belongs to the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art and was acquired in 1943 the New York City Works Progress Administration. Its classification among drawings highlights the artist’s skillful use of opaque watercolor to suggest solid forms and subtle light effects on urban structures. The timing of the piece places it at the close of the Great Depression era, when the WPA continued to support American artists even as the nation turned its attention to the Second World War. Bates’s focus on a building corner reflects the period’s widespread interest in everyday cityscapes and vernacular architecture, offering viewers a modest yet evocative glimpse of mid-century New York life. Today the work stands as a testament to the WPA’s lasting contribution to public culture, preserving small-scale studies that document the built environment of their time. Its presence in the Met’s collection invites visitors to consider how such intimate drawings helped shape a distinctly American visual record during years of profound social change.