South Street Stoop, Osvaldo Louis Guglielmi

Episode 155. I’m David Cateforis with another Art Minute from the Spencer Museum of Art. O. Louis Guglielmi's enigmatic 24-by-20 inch oil painting, South St. Stoop, brings to mind a scene straight out of The Twilight Zone. Painting in a dry, precise style, Guglielmi portrays a stark industrial neighborhood of New York City. A pair of men's black shoes and a large olive-oil can sit oddly together, abandoned by the stoop, as a solemn girl plays a joyless game of hop-scotch alone on the sidewalk. In the right background, two men cross a vacant street together, yet they do not interact, adding to the sense of alienation. Looming above the men is a tower of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. Long a symbol of American prosperity, in this 1935 Depression-era scene, its spirit of hope seems all but lost. Born in Egypt to Italian parents, Guglielmi was raised in New York and studied at the National Academy of Design. His painting combines social commentary with the dream-like qualities of surrealism. Viewing this painting at the Spencer, one can almost hear Rod Serling ominously intone, "Next stop, the Twilight Zone.” With thanks to Nancy Hernandez for her text, from the Spencer Museum of Art, I’m David Cateforis.