Romanesque Lincoln

As part of a local architecture/history project, I chose to look at a nearby Romanesque building dating from the 1100's, possibly built as a palace for King Henry II. The only surviving feature of any significance is the arched doorway to the building, but this alone has inspired me to dig deeper into this period of medieval classicalism.

An obvious starting point for any architectural study in Lincoln has to be the cathedral, which dominates the city from its location on the crown of a steep hill. The western front is rich in Romanesque features which date from the earlier Norman building on the site.

What inspires me about the style is the variation in the sculptures and strong details surrounding the doorway into the cathedral. The entrance to the building, underneath three large archways, reminds me of the triumphal arches of the Roman era. Its interesting to think whether the Normans were trying to mimic the Roman style in order to create the same overwhelming impact as their predecessors.

Finished Piece

My finished work for the art foundation course; shown in the two light stages my design was based around:

Lincoln Open Day

I recently took a trip to Lincoln in order to check out the city's university. I was amazed by the old end of the small city and in particular the medieval cathedral which dominates the cityscape. It is built on top of a steep hill and was at one point the tallest building in the world until the spire collapsed in the Tudor times.

Painting, Days 1-2

The cornerstone to my painting... I've started by painting a basic layer of oil which will make it easier to work over in the future when I'm adding more accurate colour and line. When the paint is dried (to an extent) I will sand the brushstrokes off to give it a smoother appearance.

Construction, Cutting out.

After about 2 weeks, the front of my light box is cut out and mounted. I blacked out most of the lighting in the room and tried the box out. As a silhouette of a building I think it has succeeded in its job... I can only hope the painting goes as well.

Hillfields House, Coventry

Since my Coventry trip, I have been set on using this building as my final image. From this angle it has everything I need; lots of windows to make use of the light box, lots of colour (as opposed to the dull tones of other concrete buildings), and the opportunity to work in raised relief.

The building is called Hillfield House, in the Hillfields area of Coventry. The area is often given a bad press for its crime rate and standard of living, but regardless, I like the building. If I had to live in though, I'm sure I wouldn't have the same appreciation.

Light Box Experiments

I was curious to see the light box idea in action so I set up a sample of a light box. By cutting out windows into mount board it acted as a gobo for the light. Behind the surface, I attached lighting gels and fabrics to represent glass and curtains used in an actual building. After blacking out the lights in the room I was able to see the full effect of the light box and this convinced me the idea would work.