Framed Building Pop Prints
If someone is asked to name a pop art piece, framed building pop art might not be the first thing to come to mind. However, this unique artistic niche should not be neglected. It can be a wonderful way to provide a fresh take on building imagery, which can sometimes appear staid and sterile. Furthermore, it is a combination of style and subject that is less frequently seen together and can therefore feel less prone to trite portrayals that sometimes come up in popular artistic movements.
Like many early pop art pieces in general, many early framed building pop art pieces featured collage techniques. Robert Rauschenberg used such an approach in the ironically-titled “Estate,” which contains a collage of apartment buildings, street signs, and landmarks. He then painted over portions of the collage with heavy strokes and bright colors. The final effect is more reminiscent of urban chaos than an estate of any kind.
Mike Quon is a great contemporary example of framed building pop art on canvas with his portrayals of New York City landmarks in paintings like “Chrysler Building” and “Bridgescape In The City.” Erin Clark uses silhouettes of the building or structure itself against bold backgrounds in “Orange Manhattan” and “Brooklyn Glow.”
One of the many styles that influence framed building pop art paintings is abstract expressionism. This gives the paintings a primitive look that is popular with many fans of contemporary art. Although actual collage is less common now than it was in Robert Rauschenberg’s time, artists sometimes simulate the look of a collage in works like “New York Stock Exchange” by Martine Rupert.