Wear and tear, the effect of time on
materials like stone, wood and metal, can create beautiful abstract
images, often resembling abstract paintings. Like with all abstractions,
it is essential to keep an eye open for suitable subjects. As an
example, every time I come into an old European church, I look at the
pillars and the walls, for possible abstracts. Another example one
frequently encounters is rust, especially when it occurs in combination
with painted metal around it. Although in some cases there may be shapes
and line play at work as well, more often than not, the abstract effect
comes from combining different colours, so black and white conversion
is almost never a good idea for this theme. On the other hand, pushing
the natural colours to extreme levels often lead to excellent results.
Anyway, here are some of my favourites in this genre.
Staelesque (2009)
An
early shot of mine, taken in Amsterdam, and processed a year later. A
door of a canal house with paint having peeled off over time. Pushed the
colour quite a lot in post-processing, resulting in an abstract that
reminds me of the paintings of de Stael.
Klimtesque (2009)
I
came across this beauty in a side street in Prague. Just a stone wall,
where time left its mark in beautiful shapes and colours (which I pushed
a lot in post-processing in Picasa). The result is an abstract that
reminds me of Klimt in its colour settings.
In the Church (2013)
I
took this one in Kampen's main church (Bovenkerk). Six centuries of
wear and tear left beautiful patterns on the supporting columns, with
colours enhanced a bit in Picasa.
And All That Rust (2014)
I did not make a note what it is, and where I shot it (probably Kampen though). I like how it suggests some kind of landscape.
Abstraction in rust (2014)
A spot of rust that I saw on a ship moored at the IJssel banks near our home. A nice contrast of lines left and right.
Rothkoesque (2016)
Here
we have another take on a rusty hull of a ship moored at the IJssel in
Kampen near our home - making an abstract with hints of Rothko.
Abstracted Wall (2017)
Taken
in Kampen during an open day where anyone could have a look at the old
military (and later fine arts) school near our home that was being
converted to apartments. This wall with its textures and colours made
for a compelling abstract.
Ghent Triptych (2017)
This is a weathered door in Ghent, with the wooden planks that it was made from making a natural triptych feeling.
Who's Afraid of Yellow and Blue? (2018)
An
example how to make something from (almost) nothing. It is a detail
shot of a drain cover in the restaurant of the City Museum of The Hague,
with some extreme post-processing to enhance the colours substantially.
Yellow Fever (2018)
I shot this image in an abandoned factory complex at the Yangshupu Road,
Shanghai, which now houses the Shanghai Factory Outlet fashion shopping
mall. Wear and tear at its best.
Tangential (2019)
A close up of a rusty dumpster we came across in Drachten. I love the flowing double curve through this shot.
Hattem Triptych (2019)
No, this is not a real triptych. A bench made of different types of wood made for a nice natural triptych abstract.
Woodwork (2020)
I came across this one in walking distance from our home, a door that had been prepared for re-painting. I
like the combination of shapes, textures and colours.
Shard (2024)
I've shot many rust abstracts over the years, but this is one of the most remarkable. There is actually a 3D structure formed by the rust here.