Stephen Magsig: Midtown Warehouse
Showing a warehouse dissected by a bridge almost inevitably alludes to the economic infrastructure of production, storage and distribution. This piece includes all of these key elements by displaying a cross section of an industrial area. The lights are on, as the windows of the building indicate — there’s some activity going on and there is money to be made; the city is alive. I think that the strange air of abandonment that is so characteristic of the artist’s work, here assumes an additional, and perhaps a contradicting meaning. This place only seems desolate because everyone is inside, we don’t see the bustle because it’s hidden by the walls, and everyone is too busy to show themselves, — and this is the antipode of dereliction. On the other hand, the windows may have been veneered, and it’s not a light that they emit, but a darkness that they cover. That way my “ghost city” thesis remains valid in its original straightforward form, though I am not sure I like it so.
This bridge divides the painting into two parts, the upper, heavier one, and the lower, less loaded. As a result, an interesting effect of a threat of possible collapse is devised: physical, as well as an implication of an economical one. However, since the bridge supports the sign, it also manifests itself as savior of a sort, once again reaffirming its connecting significance through painterly metaphorical means. Distribution is an indispensable component of any business model, and it firmly lies in the basis of this painting too. The criss-crossing pattern of thick horizontal and vertical lines finds a compositional relief in the curved double track in the right low edge of the canvas — and offers an alternative resource for distribution. The tracks also add a historical touch to the piece, both because the railway was the first significant industrial trade route and because here it looks neglected and underused, belonging more to history than to the future, owned by the mighty semi-trailers.
I think that the colors faithfully convey that bleak and foggy atmosphere of an industrial area. Thus, to my mind, the achievement of the artist in this piece was to maintain interest through compositional methods. In simple words, the artist keeps it real by keeping the palette pale, but twists reality into something unusually fascinating by choosing an engaging viewing angle. Moreover, I am convinced that this scene would have made a good photograph as well. However, the medium of painting allows to ignore the small, unnecessary details, which could have detracted the viewer form the main message. I imagine that there would be some junk lying around the tracks and the building, but the artist possesses the ability to ignore it, and to lead the viewers gaze towards the larger objects. This appears to be a sensible choice considering the size of the painting. I like the artistic choices made here but, having been given the choice to visit the place, I doubt would have made it myself.
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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 25th, 2007 at 9:16 pm and is filed under Daily/Frequent Painters, Stephen Magsig. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
on January 10, 2008 at 3:49 am M. Ruka wrote:
Hey, great work, and wonderful critique, just wondering who wrote the critique. If anyone knows, Please post.
Thanks a ton!
on January 10, 2008 at 9:21 am elijah wrote:
Thanks, I did :).