Tapestry isn't just a view of New York from atop the Empire State Building. It's a kinetic portrait of the city that never sleeps, a two-dimensional interpretation of what a tourist might see if he turned his head 180 degrees and took it all in. Jackson did his homework by shooting photos and sketching from various viewpoints on the roof of the famous landmark before fusing several perspectives together. Although his cityscapes often appear mathematically precise, the Columbia, Missouri, artist never measures a thing.
Tapestry is a melting pot of colors gathered entirely from the palette scrapings of previous works.
I didn't name a single color in this piece. Jackson left many of the highlights, including the mirrored building in the center that became the focal point, as nearly bare paper. He blocked in the sharp-edged buildings of the foreground by layering his colors light to dark, while for the fuzzier, atmospheric haze of the distant buildings he worked dark to light. Finally, Jackson knew that the tonal values in the sky would balance the entire painting, so he saved this step for last, dropping an array of midtone washes onto a wet surface and allowing them to mingle for a dazzling result. Jerusalem that caught Jessica Fine's eye now has many of the signs of modern life.