New York Honky Tonk Bar III, 2018

Dorly Ninio   New & remarkable Artists

High contrast film grain is visible. See close up image. Part of 4 photographs from 'Honky Tonk Bar'

Looking out from inside Skinny Dennis during the early evening, Williamsburg's premier honky-tonk bar, this photograph captures a street scene through a rain-streaked window pane as day transitions to night. In the center of the frame, two figures with long hair stand conversing on the sidewalk just outside, their forms softened by the wet glass into impressionistic blocks of shadow and clothing. To the far left, the partial profile of a third person frames the interaction, creating a snapshot of a spontaneous neighborhood gathering taking place right outside the venue.

The perspective places the viewer inside the iconic Brooklyn establishment, looking past the clinging water beads at a streetscape anchored by a multi-story brick building and a hazy, slate-blue twilight sky. The exterior environment glows with a horizontal string of warm bulb lights, while a distant red neon sign burns through the damp air, casting a sharp crimson reflection directly onto the glass. High street lamps introduce cool white and turquoise light flares, transforming this slice of New York nightlife into an abstract urban canvas.