Colorful architectures

Steel, glass, brick and concrete do not initially inspire the photographer if they are searching for color in the typical urban landscape. Unless of course you know where to look. As noted by the writer Timothy Brittain-Catlin, architects and their “embarrassment of confronting color,” is a puritan concept still held by some architects to ensure that their work retains intellect. But what of the likes of Theo Van Doesburg and his use of primary colors to honor pure abstraction, or today Richard Rogers and his color-coded pipes of the Centre Pompidou who opted to ensure that color retains an important role in the history of architecture. Surely they must be celebrated – and, of course,  documented. Enter the photographers of colorful architecture. The likes of Artsper’s own selection of works contains that of Edmund Sumner whose widely published work focuses on color and how it conveys the character of the building. Or indeed Barry Cawston who may not focus on the colorful architecture itself, but rather the forgotten and overlooked places. This in turn strengthens the argument that color is important. Whether it is breathing life into forgotten pockets of cities or celebrating modernism, colorful architecture deserves to be designed and chronicled.