Abstract art – Page 10

Today’s Pic: The Art Of Urban Decay

February 28, 2012 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic#1) Nashville sign: Finding beauty in decrepitude.

I may be obsessed, but these things just seem to find me. Driving through downtown Nashville yesterday, in a funky little section called the Melrose District, I passed a sign that truly seemed to scream at me. (Pic #1 and Pic #4) It had clearly seen better days, or maybe years, but its wear-and-tear left a gorgeous abstraction of rich browns, blacks, and grey smudges.

I belted out a loud “STOP!” to my friend Susan, and bless her loyal soul — she hit the brakes. She didn’t understand why, but she knew I was on a mission. I bolted out of the car and grabbed the shot. She and her colleagues Sherri and Poonam might have been bumfuzzled, but were very polite about it.

(Pic #2 ) Composition of Black, Gray and Reddish by Antoni Tapies, 1968.

I saw what could have been an acrylic abstract landscape — a really interesting composition. (Pic #1)

(Pic #3) "Vuillard's Chariot" Painting by Helen Frankenthaler 2006

It reminded me of the work of the late Spanish painter Antoni Tapies, (Pic #2) and the iconic American abstract expressionist, Helen Frankenthaler (Pic #3).

But the artist, in this case — was nature. Who knows how many rainstorms or snowfalls ravaged the roadside ad, and how many layers of paper and ink were left in their wake. I just like the idea that the elements become artists too, and we benefit from their unpredictable, repetitive action.

(Pic #4) Deconstructing Signage

Salvaging Beauty from Destruction

June 30, 2011 by Lonnie Lardner

Left: Pompeo Batoni painting: “Time Orders Old Age to Destroy Beauty” (1746). Right: Wagon Wheel Motel Excavation unearths fresh art (2011). Photo by Juan Carlo Mendoza, Ventura County Star.

The demise of a local landmark reveals stunning visual treats.

In my last post, I wrote about the demolition of one of Southern California’s most recognizble roadside landmarks, the Wagon Wheel Motel on Interstate 101 in Oxnard.

Given its storied history, it hurt to watch it gradually disintegrate into a pile of splintered beams and waste. But I always try to see something anti inflammatories visually fresh in my lens. So I documented the last days of the iconic structure with the hope of creating a few canvases of abstract art.

Suddenly, the 1960 turquoise paint seemed elegant, and the property’s broken wooden fence perfectly framed the vibrating lines and textures destined for the landfill. Graffiti became a decorative touch, and cheap, crumpled window blinds gave me a new way to understand geometry.

Am I crazy?

Maybe. But delighted I got to embrace the beauty left by the storm.

Munich: Funky Factory Art (Part 2)

December 31, 2010 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) A voluptuous curve at Kunstpark Ost

Pure Abstraction: A German factory complex produces many quirky, unexpected works of art — and it’s been closed for years.

The twists, turns, and torn edges of a German industrial park have me asking – “Why am I obsessed with pipes and vents?” Why am I drawn to decaying wood, broken glass, and rusted metal? The only answer that makes sense to me is — “because it’s art.” We can probably argue that one all day — but to me, if it has texture, if it has sensual lines, if its colors make you feel something, OR if it messes with your head — it meets the criteria.

(Pic #2) Industrial Graffiti

The structures I encountered in Munich’s Kunstpark Ost, (also known as Kultfabrik) did all of those things. I tried to capture their essence with my Canon Digital SLR.

The complex is now home to dozens of trendy nightclubs, with asthma intentional graffiti on the exterior walls (Pic #2). But the structures function basically the same as when they served as a dumpling manufacturing plant. The exposed brick, bulky flex ducts, and shiny air vents, all add to the artistic experience. I even love the shredded concert posters layered and peeled like a Rauschenberg assemblage (Pic #13).

Artist Beatrice Wood once said, “The only works of art America has given are her plumbing and her bridges.” Well, I’d just like to add a few pipes from my own collection, 6000 miles away.