Lines & Grids

"Lines & Grids" is the theme for my one of my briefs at college. For this brief I have to explore my own meaning of the my chosen theme, which is Architecture/ Cityscape and starting with Dundee architecture.


A boring interpretation some may think, but my aim is to take all "the hidden gems" of Dundee and show everyone through visual art as to why the architecture is actually very interesting, clever and simple. I have decided to stay away from all the obvious "hot spots" of Dundee and focus on old buildings before 1940's.

My Granddad who was once studying Architecture at DJCAD before WW2 once said to me that if you look up that is where you can see amazing architecture. And I think he was right.

At ground level on the streets of Dundee, its urban environment can make the city sometimes look run down and sometimes rather unappealing. However, when I did look up I could see that the hidden beauty of this city was never meant for the people who look for the obvious but for those who perhaps pay attention to all of their surroundings?

I exploring what was around me and taking pictures that I found simple but yet fascinating.

Castle Street. Taken by myself.

*Across form Dundee High. Taken by myself.*

*Nethergate. Taken by myself.*

*The Old Mill, Brown Street. Taken by myself.*

The Old Mill, Brown Street. Taken by myself.

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Mc Manus. Taken by myself.

*The Old Mill, Brown Street. Taken by myself.*

The Howff. Taken by myself.

I think that even though the architecture is fascinating, it is the streets of Dundee that create the atmosphere and ambience of youth, rebellion and mischief.

Brown Street. Taken by myself.

 Art youth rebellion, this made me laugh as it is not your typical everyday vandalism.

Coming into Dundee. Taken by myself

 I think this image represents how fast paced this small city can sometimes be.

 More urban street art on Brown Street.

I felt that I really quite liked the idea of studying Dundee's ambience and atmosphere and then I came across an artist called Joan Eardley.

Joan Eardley was born in Sussex. Joan's talent for art was recognised  when she was attending private school, funded by her Aunt not long after her dad committed suicide at the age of seven. She started her training at the local art school in Blackheath, and then in 1938 enrolled at Goldsmith's College. Moving to Glasgow in 1940 she enrolled as day student at Glasgow School of Art where she was influenced by Scottish Colourists.

Joan became known for her drawings and paintings of poor city children often playing in the streets in ragged clothes, the older girls looking after younger siblings in Townhead in Glasgow where her studio was situated. She had a reputation as a "humane artist for urban life".
 Eardley's work is normally compared to Frank Auerback, David Bomberg and Lucien Freud.

Even though I am admire of Joan's work, I find it difficult to find any other related artists who focus on deprived street kids in Scotland.
 I would like to continue the idea that Joan's idea of looking street kids in Scotland too. However I would like to do a take on it where I looked at the general public: the workers, the buskers and the homeless as well.

... And so I returned to the drawing board I looked for images that I liked. What makes me like these images?

*The back of Reform Street. Taken By Sam Antcliff.*

 What made me like this image is the strong sense of emotion the weather seems to have here that reflects on the city. The clouds parting for the sunshine says to me that Dundee is not all doom and gloom - there is a sense of hope. I really like how the buildings of old, run down flats are right beneath the image as it takes me back to what my Granddad said to me about looking up.

*Taken at Reform Street. Taken by Sam Antcliff.*

What made me really like this image is the weather (again) and how it plays a huge part in mood and ambience. Instead of the rain being seen a sad or depressing, in my view I think with the lights reflecting off the pavement it looks rather magical. Despite the fact that there is no one actually in the image I think that it still gives a youthful message out that even though that there's no one currently there, the street do not look old and somehow gives hints that there is human interaction going on.I like how there is a total variation of lines and grids in this image, with strong vertical lines of the buildings to the grid like pattern on the cobbled road and the horizontal lines that run parallel along the street. This image is uncomplicated and it just gives you enough information.

So continuing with the idea of " Looking up" I continue to research further in Dundee. 

I eventually decided to widen my horizons and look at other artist's who appreciate architecture from gorund level and up. So came across Gabriel Boray. 

Gabriel Boray is a self taught painter with years of experimentation. He tends to work in abstract cityscapes, where he has a view point of looking directly at the top of the buildings or down and looking up. I think his paintings in abstract, simplifies the image as a whole and we can get a clear understanding of the mood and structure of the city of Burlington, USA. 

 As a really liked Gabriel's idea of simplicity but also how he expresses the city, I came across a British textile artist Debbie Smyth. This artist does not use canvas, paint or oil when doing her installation pieces, in fact she only uses thread. Her work has been on the front page of NY Times and she has been commissioned by Sony, Red Cross Canada and Mr Jones Watches. Her solo Threadbare grabbed my attention completely.

 The textile above is a large scale work that was inspired by the Manchester Northern Quarter's urban aesthetic. The piece measures 26 feet wide and 8 feet high, capturing an astonishing quality of depth and movement as rough, willowy-edged travelers walk against outlined cityscapes. Having a textile piece based on a cityscape Manchester with a street and block of flats, makes the the textile more realistic as it is so simple.

This is the textile piece plan.

This is what it turned out to be once in the gallery. 

What attracted me to Smyth's work is the fact that is all compiled together through lines of thread. When describing her work she says: “The drawings are firstly plotted to give me the bare bones of the image. I then gradually exaggerate and add more thread and knots, just like you would add shading with a pencil. Thread, such a pliable and soft material with great line quality.”

I think that Smyth's methods and techniques could turn anything that was possibly run down into something clever and fascinating which I think that would work well with the idea of looking at buildings from below and looking up.

 

Going back to the idea of print and pattern that I picked upon in my my images before I think that I would like to explore that area before completely leaving my research and see what there is to offer. 

Staying completely away from lines that are solely created by equipment or instruments, I wanted to see how do lines and grids  look like in a collage or perhaps a weave where the lines are created by edges to form a pattern or a print.

Gayle Gerson a fine artist for ten years who focuses on portraits but also explores in cityscapes and Architecture. Her inspirations are Hopper and Van Gogh. 

 What attracts me to Gerson's work is how she has pattern theme through out her work. 

I know the last one is not in theme of looking up in cityscape. But I do appreciate the I layers of raw edges to create lines of the mountain top going up. The variety of colours helps the eye to separate the layers as the object in the collage gets higher.


I think that I did sort of struggle when it came to secondary research as I think I gave myself such a narrow view point which is a shame cause I am really interested in lines and grids and the different way they can be formed through quilling, cross hatching and etching. 

I do think that I have enough primary research to keep on continuing with sketches and mark making and hopefully you can see my excitement that I have for cityscapes through my images.