Facade

Armin Landeck

Landeck, already a master of architectural study, seeks to portray the intimate life of a structure in “Facade.” An apartment building’s front door and street-facing windows are caught in a slight skew, as if Landeck was standing at a bit of an angle when he drew them. But while he is known for intricate, sharply drawn lines that accentuate the bones of buildings in almost mathematical accuracy, here he focuses on the passing of time portrayed in the composition: once an elegant representation of tidy municipality, the building has begun to retire into dereliction, but not without grace.

Landeck takes pains to capture the smoldering texture of a weathered plaster wall; the grain of the boards that neatly replace glass panes; the irregularity of the bricks above.The entire scene is then illuminated the gentlest of lights, bestowing dignity on the past. In such a small, almost forgetful bit of architecture we are given the opportunity to appreciate what once was, and the ways in which time reclaims all things.