I went to Sheffield yesterday, and saw this interesting brick wall at the corner of Castle Street. This four-storey portrait was commissioned by the City Council in 1986 and is one of the first public art works in the city. It is based on an image done by an artist called Paul Waplington and uses 30,000 bricks of 18 different colours/types, and is an iconic image in Sheffield that is dominated by the mans eyes and his helmet.
The mural pays respect to the achievements of Sheffield's steel industries because the history of the steel industry is important to Sheffield and its area. Recently the steel industry has been in decline and this image is there to represent, and is a constant reminder of the past industrial boom and the people who took part in it. This portrait of the steelworker is based on an individual and then adjusted to fit the wall. The original artist Paul Waplington said "The eyes had to be enlarged, for example, or the pupils and the whites would have been smaller than a brick."
The strong landmark has appeared in many publications to promote the use of brick as an art form because the piece after all uses 30,000 bricks of 18 different colours/types. 'Steelworker' is considered by some people to be one of the first modern, public art works in the city which has now in effect caused expansion, capturing the arts in its changing cultural context.
The image itself caught my eye straight away, and looks more detailed and intricate when seen in Sheffield. It is quite a clever idea to construct a mural on an exterior wall, because the bricks are not coloured, they are different types so as they wear and tear, the colours will still remain the same and can be seen by the public.
The mural pays respect to the achievements of Sheffield's steel industries because the history of the steel industry is important to Sheffield and its area. Recently the steel industry has been in decline and this image is there to represent, and is a constant reminder of the past industrial boom and the people who took part in it. This portrait of the steelworker is based on an individual and then adjusted to fit the wall. The original artist Paul Waplington said "The eyes had to be enlarged, for example, or the pupils and the whites would have been smaller than a brick."
The strong landmark has appeared in many publications to promote the use of brick as an art form because the piece after all uses 30,000 bricks of 18 different colours/types. 'Steelworker' is considered by some people to be one of the first modern, public art works in the city which has now in effect caused expansion, capturing the arts in its changing cultural context.
The image itself caught my eye straight away, and looks more detailed and intricate when seen in Sheffield. It is quite a clever idea to construct a mural on an exterior wall, because the bricks are not coloured, they are different types so as they wear and tear, the colours will still remain the same and can be seen by the public.
No comments:
Post a Comment