Over the Rhine

Over the Rhine, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

When I was a child, there were more soulful, pre-20th century buildings similar to this all over Louisville, mostly in downtown and the neighborhoods surrounding the old city.  Sadly, a large percentage of them were torn down in the 1970s to make way for newer structures (some of which have already been torn down as well) as part of the city's Urban Renewal movement. Many buildings that were salvaged were abandoned over time for various reasons and the owners refused to renovate them. Their structures decayed, often times the building collapsed and the facades were saved. A weird twist to saving a bit of history. 

Fire escapes always added an interesting, zig-zaggy, non-architectural element to the facade or rear...some visual movement to compositional order.  

I am always thankful to find cities who were not renewal-happy. I took this photo in the Over the Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, where FEW buildings were torn down at all.  I am happy that it has been placed in the hands of a wonderful revitalization effort that is keeping with the integrity of the original neighborhood. 

The painting looks as if it were a quick sketch, but the architectural composition was very demanding, took a bit of time to paint and fun to bring to life.