I began my New York cycle with this view of Lower Manhattan from Liberty Island. This painting is the key to my artistic understanding of this city. 

Through the park area on Liberty Island I was able to catch a special perspective of Lower Manhattan which enabled me to set the different layers of the painting in relation to one another. The shadowy foreground, the first layer, which is opened up by the sun spots, leads into the second layer: the sunny promenade occupied by people. The trees with their interplay of light and shadow in its leaves create the frame for the Hudson River, and Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center with its colorful glass facade, illuminated by the sun, the third layer. The view of the distant Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn forms the fourth layer.