Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Concrete Verticals
slightly different image to the previous countryside impressions.
part of additional elements of a building constructed by the architect Zvi Hecker, in Duisburg/Germany.
choosed this POV to compress and concentrate those 'pillars' excluding all upper space and background between but including the shaded and sun lightend green.
Permalink / posted by and copyright of michael hoefner : 8:58 AM
Comments:
I love the stacks of different-toned concrete and the use of the green, both as a counterpoint to the grey and to provide horizontals. There is also a trick of the eye with that light column just left of centre, which could face either inward or outward: for me that is the most compelling element in the picture (and was probably intended to be). There are several 'discordant' elements - or, at least, they pose thoughts other than harmony. If one likens the structure to an abstract version of Stonehenge (neolithic stone circle), then the concrete block on the ground has the feel of an altar or scrificial block (it also partially mirrors the irregular capping stone at the top). The dark section to the left is not an exact replica of the right hand side light area and that keeps one trying to reconcile shapes. The final 'difficult' bit is the small horizontal turn of the shadow halfway down on the left: somehow one is expecting the diagonal shadow to continue from above. The over-riding impression is of a temple open to the elements, cleverly conveyed by the exclusion of any sky or roof and the inclusion of the grass. There is wonderful harmony in the picture and yet there is tension as well.
There are three contrasts for me in this image that capture my imagination.
The colour of the grass versus the white/grey/black of the concrete building, that brings the nature/manmade contrast to the fore.
The majority of lines in this image are straight, very straight but the shadows in the grass are wavy and natural, again emphasising the difference between the natural and the manmade.
Finally those natural lines are horizontal versus the vertical.
I don't usually analyse to this depth but I had to think why did the simplicity of this image intrigue me so much?
I love the ambiguities in this....which plane am I looking at?...what am I looking at?...why isn't the pattern quite regular?...why is it regular at all?
I also liked the surprise of green as I scrolled down the page. Until I had the whole image on screen I thought this was going to be monochrome.
This is a tremendous image rescued from the mundaness of reality.
Is reality mundane? I tend to the absolute rather than the relative so my answer should, following those categories, be a straight yes or no but I think that I shall allow myself the luxury of a relative answer: some reality is more mundane than other reality. But would a building designed to be an artistic achievement be mundane?
In addition to what I said in my earlier comment, I also find intriguing the fact that, in this shot at least, there are strong echoes of classical Greek columns (as well as Stonehenge). So, if nothing changes over 2000 years perhaps there is an element of the mundane! But I imagine that the original remark is aimed at the representation of reality than reality itself.
At first glance, I thought it was a monochrome but then I saw the grass. I think that is a very nice touch as it brings into the picture an added dimension. In some ways, I find the giving me an feeling of foreboding. That I have to go through the pillars, not knowing what is there.
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The colour of the grass versus the white/grey/black of the concrete building, that brings the nature/manmade contrast to the fore.
The majority of lines in this image are straight, very straight but the shadows in the grass are wavy and natural, again emphasising the difference between the natural and the manmade.
Finally those natural lines are horizontal versus the vertical.
I don't usually analyse to this depth but I had to think why did the simplicity of this image intrigue me so much?
I also liked the surprise of green as I scrolled down the page. Until I had the whole image on screen I thought this was going to be monochrome.
This is a tremendous image rescued from the mundaness of reality.
In addition to what I said in my earlier comment, I also find intriguing the fact that, in this shot at least, there are strong echoes of classical Greek columns (as well as Stonehenge). So, if nothing changes over 2000 years perhaps there is an element of the mundane! But I imagine that the original remark is aimed at the representation of reality than reality itself.