Artwork
A Rainy Night, Madison Square
A Rainy Night, Madison Square is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Charles Frederick William Mielatz. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1890, *A Rainy Night, Madison Square* is a black‑and‑white print that captures a wet urban street after dark. The scene centers on a horse‑drawn carriage on a slick pavement, illuminated by faint streetlights and a banner proclaiming “The Century of the United States.” The composition conveys the damp atmosphere of a rainy night in late‑19th‑century New York.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a moment of everyday city life, emphasizing the interplay of light, water, and architecture. By focusing on the reflective surfaces and the motion of rain, the image suggests both the vitality and the transience of urban modernity, highlighting how weather transforms familiar streets into fleeting, almost cinematic moments.
Technique & Style
Mielatz employed a combination of etching, aquatint, and roulette on Japanese paper to achieve a range of tonal values. The aquatint provides broad, velvety shadows, while the roulette creates fine, slanted rain streaks. This layered approach allows subtle gradations of darkness and the illusion of wet, glistening surfaces.
History & Provenance
Born Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Mielatz in Prussia, the artist emigrated to the United States where he became known for his architectural prints. *A Rainy Night, Madison Square* reflects his mature period, during which he documented American cityscapes with a focus on atmospheric effects. The print has been held in several American collections of 19th‑century graphic art.
Context
The print belongs to a broader movement of American printmakers who, in the late 1800s, turned to urban subjects and experimented with new tonal techniques. Mielatz’s work aligns with contemporaries who sought to record the rapid growth of cities like New York, using the medium of print to reach a wider audience.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Frederick William Mielatz
Charles Frederick William Mielatz (né Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Mielatz; May 24, 1864 – July 2, 1919) was a Prussian-born American etcher, graphic artist, painter, lithographer, and educator.
