The Empire State 2010

Pietropoli Patrick painted this image of The Empire State, likely in his studio, using oil on canvas. The muted palette gives the city a dreamlike quality. The texture isn’t about heavy impasto; instead, it’s in the way the brushstrokes build up the image, like layers of memory. I’m drawn to the way Patrick builds the city out of these marks, each one a little decision, a little feeling. It reminds me that painting isn’t just about representation; it’s about thinking through color and form. Look at how he softens the edges of the buildings, using thin layers of paint, almost like a watercolor. There's a kindred spirit in someone like Rackstraw Downes, who also finds the sublime in urban landscapes, though with a very different approach. Ultimately, this painting isn’t just about a building; it’s about how we see, how we remember, and how we make sense of the world around us through art.