Instead of portraying glamorous subjects, Edward Melcarth painted the people of New York who held the city up from the ground level: waitresses, construction workers, medics, bikers, prostitutes, and junkies. In choosing to depict these people, he embraced the brutality and reality that accompanied life in New York City in the 1950’s and 60’s.

Melcarth’s personal goal was to re-establish the potential of figurative painting in an era that embraced abstract expression over recognizable form. He drew from the epic traditions of the Italian Baroque that emphasized design, richness, and storytelling, but refused to depict those people already in the spotlight.