Motifs of New York are, of course, quite rare in Estonian art. Before World War II, the focus was primarily on Europe, and after the war, artists’ travels mostly led them to Southeast Asia or the Transcaucasus, leaving North America largely outside the horizon of Estonian authors. Similarly, Estonian artists have seldom depicted a modern metropolis. Cities were usually portrayed romantically, with few or no people; the urban landscape was a labyrinth of towers and old walls, where time seemed to stand still. Ninemäe’s work, however, focuses on people and social interaction, presenting the metropolis not as an antique still life but as a melting pot where individuals from very different backgrounds converge. For refugees at the time, such an impression of a city was accessible, whereas resident artists had to make do with something else.