Russian-born Jewish immigrant Evsa Model portrayed the street, sky, and people of a city from various vantage points in this multicolored wall hanging. Model was a well-known artist in European Cubist and Dada circles. In 1938, he and photographer Lisette Model (1901–1983), his wife, fled to New York City to escape Nazi persecution. In this interpretation of his new American metropolis, Model experimented with perspective, shape, and color—a nod to Cubism. He also added amusing alterations to reality, like the magnified orange-and-green eye of the smoking woman or the United States flag hanging down but face-to-face with the viewer. These elements are characteristic to the Dada movement, which challenged representation through ironic absurdities.