Mark Tobey’s City Paintings: Meditations on an Age of Transition

Abstract

Mark Tobey’s City Paintings have traditionally been interpreted as joyous evoc­ations of the energy inherent in the modern urban scene. This article looks at the evolutionary character of Tobey’s City Paintings during the decades of the 1930s, ‘40s, and’ 50s, and points out that they may instead be understood as modern reinterpretations of the traditional themes of the Apocalypse, Hell, the Day of Judgment, and the New Jerusalem. This  interpretation  finds its roots in the study of the relationship of Tobey’s City Paintings to the artist’s long held beliefs in the Bahá’í Faith and to specific Bahá’í teachings concerning the Book of Revelation and the coming of a New Age. The article also looks at the overall influence of the Bahá’í Faith on Tobey’s work and draws parallels between major themes in the City Paintings and important Bahá’í scriptures, including The Seven Valleys. In this connection, Tobey’s City Paintings can be understood as symbolic of the various stages in humanity’s spiritual quest, ending with the theme of the resolution of opposites and a celebration or the essential unity of all creation.