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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fourteen: Expressing the meaning of buildings and structures > Buildings, real and imagined: San Francisco, California, 2007
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08-JUN-2007

Buildings, real and imagined: San Francisco, California, 2007

It is not often that one finds an imaginary building squeezed in between two real ones. But such is the case here. Neighborhood artists have enlivened a wall facing an empty lot between two buildings with a painting of another. Three people, each of them one story high, are apparently revamping this neighborhood, one of San Francisco’s most disadvantaged. I composed the image on an angle, altering depth perception, and making the painting seem to fill the space between the buildings. The incongruity of this concept draws the eye, and the vivid colors contrast strikingly to the surrounding facades.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/200s f/5.0 at 39.3mm iso100 full exif

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Phil Douglis08-Sep-2008 17:21
Thanks, Cyndy, for reminding us that the most important skill in photography is the ability to see relationships that other's might not see.
Guest 08-Sep-2008 16:23
Wonderful find! These are the gems we look for when traveling. Thoughtfully represented, as always.
Phil Douglis30-Apr-2008 06:48
It is always a joy, Dan, to find such surprises. We then must be able to make the most of them as expressive photographs.
Dan Chusid30-Apr-2008 06:32
Love finding imagery like this in the urban expanse.
Phil Douglis24-Jun-2007 19:04
I confess to not seeing Harry Potter movies, but I will take your word for it, Mo. All I know about Harry Potter is that it is a form of fantasy fiction. And this image is based on fantasy as well.
monique jansen24-Jun-2007 12:17
Like a scene out of one of the Harry Potter movies
Phil Douglis20-Jun-2007 17:45
Yes, Tricia -- the wall painting is intended to play with the imagination. It starts with a realistic vision, which quickly becomes surrealistic with the addition of the large scale figures. The entire image becomes surreal when we find a painted building tucked in between real ones. Surrealism is an art form that releases the creative potential of the unconscious mind through irrational juxtapositions such as we have here.
flowsnow20-Jun-2007 15:12
Indeed I agree with both of you...this is also my cup of tea. We are also getting that in our bill boards with so called make believe images (even 3D formations). I believe it draws the human eye to reality that doesn't seem to exist, perhaps a play with our imagination.
Phil Douglis19-Jun-2007 23:51
I love things like this, too, Carol. They are always rich in incongruity. Make believe always exists side by side with reality in urban settings. It is the nature of the place.
Carol E Sandgren19-Jun-2007 23:27
A little make believe squeezed into a real world. I love it!
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