The Guggenheim Musuem’s newest exhibit features the work of Julie Mehretu, an abstract painter best known for her densely-layered paintings. Her work expresses an obsession with architecture, in particular, densely populated urban environments. In her pieces, Mehretu takes recognizable architectural components, such as the column, façade, and elevation, which are then compressed and combined to capture different perspectives. “Her paintings present a tornado of visual incident where gridded cities become fluid and flattened, like many layers of urban graffiti.”
Mehretu’s work, to some extent, may be a reflection of the power of architecture. Working on ladders and scaffolding, Mehretu uses rulers and other drafting tools to create her masterpieces. Her work has a strong architectural undertone, as well as a creative process to tie the piece together. For instance, one of her works takes photos snapped from street level and arranges them in a way so the projections of new spaces can be drawn.
