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Constructed, 2004
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“Passing Through,” Al Held’s 115-foot mural in the Lexington Avenue-53rd Street station.
An abstract echo in the intense color of the mosaic glass tiles, spheres and rings, checkerboard boxes and slabs, orange pipes and yellow clouds.
Passing Through is one of the last public works of celebrated abstract painter Al Held
The colorful and exuberant mural reveals an immense universe in which geometric elements of varying shapes and sizes float freely.
This glass mosaic weaves its way along more than 100 feet of undulating wall within the station’s mezzanine in a combination of vibrant color and shifting geometry.
Held was curious about how everything is structured and was inspired by theories about the universe and its mysteries.
He described his interest in "images that we believe in but that are beyond our senses and that we can never experience directly."
His imagery powerfully evokes New York City's contemporary energy while acknowledging the forms and styles of the Midtown skyscrapers overhead.
There is also another subject of Held's interest, that of buildings and architecture.
In 1976, with funding from the Exxon Corporation, this station, as well as three others citywide, received new "artfully humorous graffiti" murals and artwork.
It features glass mosaic on the mezzanine walls.
The mosaics are colorful, brightening up a corridor that otherwise would seem dull and dreary.
The undulating walls upon which the glass mosaic tiles are fixed really add to the visual effect.
The images suggest an alternate universe unrestricted by time and space, which may seem pretty attractive when you’re stuck waiting for a late-night 6 train.
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