Triptyque, Du Haut De L'Empire State 2014

Curator: Let's discuss Patrick Pietropoli’s 2014 mixed-media work, "Triptyque, Du Haut De L'Empire State", part of a private collection. It offers a stunning view, rendered in monochrome, from high above. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by this panoramic vista of New York; the buildings appear ghostly, almost like specters in a concrete jungle. The triptych format divides, yet combines, this urban narrative. Curator: The use of the triptych is so intriguing; its symbolic power has roots in early religious art. We see secular temples here – skyscrapers rather than cathedrals. Yet, a continuity of reverence for the monumental prevails. Editor: Right, this city's constructed landscape echoes spiritual aspirations through commerce and ambition, while also prompting reflection about social disparities inherent to such structures. The view excludes the ground and, consequently, lived experience. Curator: Note how Pietropoli employs line and shade to sculpt the image. We observe intricate details in these structures, recalling the symbolism architects instilled into their facades during this building boom of the 20th century. Each line holds a story of aspiration, progress and capital. Editor: Absolutely. The grayscale lends it a timeless quality, and it almost evokes the historical, oppressive roots behind modern construction through the symbolism and weight of those lines you've spoken of. There is labor in these sketches – both the manual labor and the modern, administrative one. Curator: I also perceive a ghost of utopian ambition inherent to modernist architectural forms, now layered with accumulated history. These towers promised so much; even from this height they dominate our cultural imagination. Editor: It's also, for me, the way the arrangement in a triptych pushes a re-evaluation of the imperial nature of such a construction - 'From the height of the Empire State Building' – an almost arrogant statement. Curator: A potent comment on empire – as always when looking from a pedestal. That connection is essential and often unexamined, but its potency in the current moment is unquestionable. I feel the weight and the memory of the symbol in this piece, not simply its static form. Editor: Exactly! This triptych does more than just show a cityscape. It raises so many essential questions about power, legacy, and what exactly these secular temples signify in our world.