dj.tigersprout's photoblog
Constructivist Sky Grid (770 Broadway), NYC
Posted by dj.tigersprout (New York City, United States) on 5 May 2009 in Architecture and Portfolio.
with this shot -- you can see where i am beginning to forge a mixed media of sorts... a new possible trend perhaps? of course i will still continue to work primarily in the field of photography -- but my printmaking and painting roots are beginning to show... :P
one of my main painterly influences in this direction was Piet Mondrian -- who until recently i had always thought was french (thanks Antonio!) as he spent much of his time in Paris. Mondrian is known for his linear abstractions w/ primary colors... of course i have taken some liberties for my own purposes, but base my ideas off of much of his known work.
this shot was taken from underneath a steel overhang which displayed the address of the building. i am underneath, looking up through this metallic structure across the street at a luxury apartment / penthouse complex. i aligned the straight, black, diagonal bar with the top of the building to get a clean 'cut' of sky giving the shot a touch of minimal cubist / constructivist appeal.
of course, as with my recent NYC trend, i had to modify the sky to a panel of color making the eye waver between the 3-dimensional representational space & the flat and formless hue. realism begins to slip into abstraction within the same pane and constructivism begins to invade.
in retrospect, it all strangely just fell into place -- my move to New York, the evolution of my NYC buildings on Broadway series, and the re-emergence of my previous art schooling. where it goes from here i am not sure -- but to allay any of the fears some of you might have, landscape will still continue to be my main stay, along with international travel... so fear not! :) however, i must allow this recent evolution to run its course -- and while i am here in this massive, form and function, constructed city -- i can't avoid giving in to my newly awakened architectural / constructivist desires!!
cheers!
for those of you new to the ideas of constructivism, i have posted some explanation below. :)
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Constructivist Art (Constructivism) is a term used to define a type of totally abstract (non-representational) relief construction, sculpture, kinetics and painting. The work is ordered and often minimal, geometric, spatial, architectonic and experimental in the use of industrial material.
The principles of constructivism theory are derived from three main movements that evolved in the early part of the 20th century: Suprematism in Russia, De Stijl (Neo Plasticism) in Holland and the Bauhaus in Germany.
Constructivism has been closely associated with architecture and the applied arts from its beginning. These early movements were idealistic, seeking a new order in art and architecture that dealt with social and economic problems.
RUSSIA 1910-1921:: During the early part of this period the Russian avant-garde embraced Cubism and Futurism and moved toward a non-objective art (art without subject) exemplified by Kasmir Malevich's development of Suprematism. In 1913-14 Vladimir Tatlin made and exhibited several relief constructions using industrial materials inspired by the Furturist Umberto Boccioni's vision of 'plastic configurations in space' and the 3D collages seen in Picasso's Paris studio. Tatlin used the term Constructivism to describe these works.
The first Constructivist manifesto appeared in 1921 when the First Working Group of Constructivists was formed in Moscow. Other developments principally in Holland and Germany led the movement to expand and become international.
DE STIJL 1917- 1931 :: Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian formed the Dutch De Stijl group in 1917. Mondrian, who spent most of his time in Paris, developed his distinctive style of non-representational grid painting independently from the Russians. Influenced by Bart Van der Leck he moved from subject-based abstraction to establish the strictly horizontal / vertical format that became known as Neo Plasticism, the visual vocabulary of De Stijl.
BAUHAUS 1919-1933 :: The Bauhaus was opened in 1919 by the architect Walter Gropius as a 'Guild of Craftsmen without Class Distinction' (between artists and artisans).
Principals of the non-representational groups: De Stijl, Constructivism and Suprematism, were absorbed into the teaching curriculum at the Bauhaus and deeply influenced the development of art, architecture and industrial design as International Constructivism.
excerpt taken from: http://www.grahampotter.com/constructivism.html
all work protected by Creative Commons
Canon EOS REBEL XT
1/100 second
F/11.0
ISO 100
18 mm