Grey Day - Grosz

Image from http://www.abcgallery.com/G/grosz/grosz9.html

Look at the above painting...

I first saw this in an intro architectural history course three years ago. The painting is called Grey Day by George Grosz and instead of memorizing its name, date (1921) and period (German Expressionism) for the final, I remember the painting to this day. The painting was made as Germany was recovering following WWI and the realities of life at the time are expressed clearly. In the foreground is an architect (distinguished by the T-Square under his arm) with a clean suit and eyes crossed. Directly behind him is a new brick wall being put up in front of the industrialization in the far background, a worker with his shovel, and most obvious, a war vet with a weathered face and a cane who is missing an arm.

I find this painting especially powerful when I consider my future in architecture, planning, preservation, or something of the like. Following my international experiences the past two years, I realized the social, cultural, and historical implications design can have. Last year during architecture studio, I made a point to focus on designing from the existing site conditions (specifically historical). Having a solid foundation to design from allowed me to feel much more comfortable with the final project and helped me explain my process.