Park Avenue 2020
In Park Avenue 2020, Troy Hul Arnold captures a fleeting yet poignant moment of connection between himself and partner Elise Mascia during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Set against the unusually quiet streets of Manhattan’s Upper East Side—specifically a leafy side street in the 70s—the painting becomes a cinematic memory, reminiscent of the melancholic charm found in 1980s New York films.

At a time when public space was reshaped by fear, regulation, and distance, Arnold and Mascia would steal brief, intimate encounters after work—choosing these quieter uptown blocks over the high-foot-traffic zones of Times Square or Hudson Yards. These were stolen moments of normalcy, where even the simple act of removing a mask to see each other's faces felt quietly rebellious, almost sacred.

Through soft tones and restrained composition, Park Avenue 2020 offers more than a romantic vignette; it is a meditation on the human need for connection amid isolation. Arnold documents not just a place, but a time—when every glance, gesture, and touch took on heightened meaning.