New York City York metropolitan area produced a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of US$1.73 trillion. If greater New York City were a sovereign state, it would have the 12th highest GDP in the world. New York City traces its origins to a trading post founded by colonists from the Dutch Republic in 1624 on Lower Manhattan; the post was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed "New York" after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York. New York served as the capital of
The Soul of the Soulless City The Soul of the Soulless City The Soul of the Soulless City, originally titled New York – an Abstraction, is a 1920 painting by the English artist Christopher R. W. Nevinson. It depicts a fictional part of the elevated railway in Manhattan, painted in a style influenced by cubism and futurism. Nevinson visited New York City for the first time in 1919 and was immediately impressed by the city. He made many sketches of which some were turned into paintings. He painted "New York – an Abstraction" after his return to London and before his second visit to New York