James Newton

Cities Underneath Cities

Taking cues from the representation of architecture in Italian Renaissance Painting, Cities Underneath Cities brings the background condition into view.

Buildings and architecture are the parts of paintings that have usually been seen as subordinate to the human figures. Similarly these cityscapes are usually the backgrounds to everyday life, unobserved parts of the city, used but not celebrated. Despite the lack of people life is very much in evidence in the patina of marks, scrapes, posters and paint. Every contact leaves a trace.

Taking cues from the representation of architecture in Italian Renaissance Painting, Cities Underneath Cities brings the background condition into view.

Buildings and architecture are the parts of paintings that have usually been seen as subordinate to the human figures. Similarly these cityscapes are usually the backgrounds to everyday life, unobserved parts of the city, used but not celebrated. Despite the lack of people life is very much in evidence in the patina of marks, scrapes, posters and paint. Every contact leaves a trace.