Framed Building Art

Charles Ebbets took one of the most powerful photographs in the collection of framed building prints, featuring construction workers having lunch on a steel girder. The skyscraper dominated the surroundings and otherwise imposing buildings can be observed in the background, as tiny, insignificant structures. Andrew Wyeth’s drawings achieve the same effect in a different manner, with the audience almost hearing the tolling bell of a solitary church.

Not all framed building prints are revolving around structures located in the US, with Clay Davidson’s Street View of LA Tour Eiffel being a great example. It is easy to lose focus of the big picture and concentrate exclusively on the tower in the back, even though only its massive base can be seen. Before the Statue of Liberty was shipped to its final resting place, it fascinated the Parisians during its construction in 1886. Unnamed Mediterranean and Tuscan Villas are also celebrated in paintings, although they are a more discrete presence and the emphasis is placed on the surroundings.