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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twelve: Using color to express ideas > Thirty Fourth Street, New York City, New York, 2009
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24-MAR-2009

Thirty Fourth Street, New York City, New York, 2009

I find it always fascinating that fragments of the past manage to survive amidst the towers of contemporary Manhattan. I wanted to tell that story in this image. It’s the story of a tiny story red-brick building, hemmed in by towering condos and office buildings on all sides. Once again, if this image had been rendered in black and white, that story would lose its edge. The red building would turn gray, and while still small in comparison to its neighbors, it would not stand out as strongly as it does here in color.

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Phil Douglis21-Apr-2009 19:46
Glad you enjoyed reading Pete Hamill's novel "Forever" and Jack Finney's novel "Time and Again," Jenene. These books offer a wonderful prism for seeing New York as it is and as it once was. This image is a good example of the contrasts wrought by time and economics in this, the most visually stimulating of all American cities.
JSWaters21-Apr-2009 18:24
Like you, I love to spot these treasures amongst the giants of Manhattan. They give this modern city much of it's sense of history. A history, I might add, that you have helped tutor me in, with your suggestions of reading material related to early Manhattan. I've finished 'Forever' and 'Time and Again', and found both to add such dimension to my wandering the storied streets of the city.
Jenene
Phil Douglis03-Apr-2009 02:24
I knew you would spot the light in those windows, Tim. I was concentrating on color, color and color here -- the contrast of yesterday's warm red and today's corporate beige. Or as you call it so eloquently: "blandish." It is strange how the concentration of light in those small windows energize the building and suggest a wink from the past. Yet the same light reflects from the huge building just behind it -- but that wink is not there. It is also a contrast in scale -- yesterday was built on a human scale, while today's city can often be seen as inhumanely scaled.
Tim May03-Apr-2009 00:13
This one sings to me. I, of course, like the colorful past standing out in the blandish now. I also like the light in the windows. It is as if the past is looking out at us.
Phil Douglis31-Mar-2009 00:14
Thanks, Endre -- there is a great deal of "old beside new" in New York City.
endre novak30-Mar-2009 20:08
this sort of urban scenee beautifully represent continuity. old beside new. very nice example.
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