America: (San Francisco, Mission Dolores) - preparatory sketch, with remarque.

Max Pollak

This sketch of the Mission Dolores in San Francisco, California, would lead to one of Max Pollak’s most celebrated etchings, capturing the stately elegance of San Francisco’s most famous place of worship. Here, he renders the older structure - the 18th century adobe mission - against the quiet simplicity of the newer - the early 20th century stone Basilica. Pollak was known for his renderings of urban and rural architecture and he often gravitated toward churches, whether in Europe, Mexico, or the Americas.

Current-day Mission Dolores speaks to the convergence of old colonial California, whose buildings reflected the Spanish influence brought by missionaries, with the industrial boom of the late 19th and early 20th century.

Here, we witness the artist mapping out his view of the church and its worshippers, trying for an angle that best represents San Francisco’s rich architectural history.