Curatorial Narrative In the midst of the Great Depression, Anthony Velonis’s “East side, West side” exhibition of photographs (1938) emerges as a testament to the artist’s innovative approach to capturing the urban landscape. By employing an Art Deco aesthetic, Velonis imbues his subjects with a sense of modernity and progress, underscoring the style’s association with luxury and sophistication. The maroon, pink, gray, and white palette, characteristic of the era, injects a sense of nostalgia and retrofuturism into the compositions. Through his lens, Velonis distills the essence of New York City’s architectural landscape, revealing a symphony of geometric forms and spatial rhythms that resonate with the Modernist sensibilities of the time.When enlarged to 44×69 inches, the chromatic structure of “East side, West side” assumes a commanding presence, its palette deepening to evoke a sense of atmospheric weight. The spatial depth, expe