48 Artists Magazine January/February 2020
Alvaro Castagnet
A CONFLUENCE OF
CHARACTERISTICSThe painting Flatiron Building NY
(opposite), by Alvaro Castagnet
(alvarocastagnet.net) is almost
disorienting. The artist deftly
depicts the epic building cohab-
iting the picture plane with a
dramatic, multistory cast shadow
and signs of city life on ground
level—street lamps, traffic lights
and pedestrians darting to and
fro. All parts coalesce into a uni-
fied whole. Striking such a balance
of attention-grabbing elements is
metaphoric of how Castagnet sees
architecture influencing life.
“I believe the purpose of archi-
tecture is to improve human life,
to create timeless, free, joyous
spaces for all activities in life,”
Castagnet says. “Architects make
and mold our cities and influence
people’s behavior, their individual
moods and their perceptions of
the space and environment.”
In a similar way Castagnet acts
as an architect over the surface of
his paintings. With the Flatiron
depiction, he found himself
drawn to the triangular-shaped
structure of the space as well as
the “hustle and bustle” of the sur-
rounding area. Seeking to bring
all of those qualities together, he
let his intuition guide his work.
To students wondering how to
bring so many elements together
harmoniously, Castagnet advises,
“Imagine your painting already
finished before you begin. Once
you have a clear and direct vision
of the scene, then proceed to
design and compose.”Flatiron Buiding NY
by Alvaro Castagnet
watercolor on paper, 30x22LANDMARK
LOCATION
Seven contemporary artists take New York City’s
Flatiron Building as their muse.
by Courtney JordanBuilders broke ground on a triangular
plot of land at the intersection of
5th Avenue and Broadway in NewYork City for the Fuller Construction
Company in 1902. A solitary wedge-
shaped skyscraper soon emerged
on the site. Designed by Chicagoarchitect Daniel Burnham, the building—with a Beaux-
Arts façade, 22 stories and a right-triangle footprint
with its narrowest corner spanning a mere 6 feetacross—became an icon in a city brimming with icons.
The freestanding tower is known today as the Flatiron
Building. Many critics derided the structure when it wasbuilt, calling it “a folly,” “a monstrosity,” and “a disgrace,”
but naysayers didn’t carry the day.
This signature structure, which recently celebrated its
117th birthday, is now both a New York City Landmarkand a National Historic Landmark. What’s more, since its
earliest days, artists and photographers, including Alfred
Steiglitz and Edward Steichen, have found themselvesdrawn to its visual siren song.
To explore the creative appeal of this architectural icon,
we’ve brought together the works of seven contemporary
artists who’ve taken the Flatiron Building as their model.TONY SHI PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES