eggHDR1459

Ominous clouds, a feel for urban landscapes gone to seed and a form of hyperrealism in the use of light and colour unmistakably mark this as one of The Egg's works, but this is an especially impressive piece of art on its own merits, big on impact and atmosphere.

The multiple vanishing lines and the almost perfect symmetry (both horizontal and vertical) give weight to the composition, while at the same time acting as an efficient hook for the watcher’s eye : when the picture has thus caught your attention, it determinedly refuses to let go, and then goes for your soul. The street-corner bar in red brick and those other one- or two-storied buildings, which we imagine to be storage space or lower-end showrooms, strongly convey a lingering impression of decline and dereliction under unforgiving grey skies, a feeling still enhanced by the brutalist architecture of the blocks on the other side of the road.

As such, it would make for a strong enough subject, but the technique manifested in the execution elevates it to something other than mere documentary material, something akin to… poetry ? At the very least, an impressive understanding of the spirit of the place – which, of course, is perhaps the quality of the picture that evades description the most. As far as this reviewer is concerned, it may be due to the level of detail made available (every slab of concrete and wild flower of this sad neighbourhood is there to see, leaving a very vivid image) or, better still, to the speeding cars contrasting with the deserted pavements and lightless windows.

In the end, these cars passing through on their way to somewhere else appear to be one of the biggest achievements of the picture, in that they work in at least three ways. On a technical level, the light trails give dynamism to an otherwise static scene, while efficiently emphasizing the vanishing lines. On a symbolic level, the multiple-lane road and the unheeding cars could easily be seen as illustrations of the alienation of an urban backwater. On an empathic level, though, the watcher does not merely content itself to detachedly observe the cars, the road and the buildings : they somehow become one of these people in their cars and the bleak scenery is looked at through their eyes, a trick of the mind which then gives the picture quite an emotional impact.

All in all, a very powerful and resonating work.