The Art of the Architectural Abstract
Photos and text by Pete Sieger | July 17, 2025
Photos 1–3: Abstract images of the University of Minnesota Northrop Memorial Auditorium and Keller Hall and the Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine Visitor Center.
POSTCARD
Several years ago, just for the fun of it, I revisited some in-camera double exposures that I’d shot years before on film. At the time, I’d also read a newsletter on photographic composites published by photographer John Paul Caponigro.
These two “looks”—my old double exposures and the work by Caponigro—served as inspiration to explore the making of two-image composite architectural abstracts. My image design criteria included:
The use of a square format for image simplicity and purity
The combination of two separate views of a single subject with emphasis on one of the two, resulting in an abstraction
The use of a selective contrast, low-key black-and-white rendering style to further the sense of abstraction
Shown here are three of the resulting images:
An expansive view over a detail view of the University of Minnesota Northrop Memorial Auditorium, designed by Clarence H. Johnston
Two views at varying scales of the University of Minnesota Keller Hall, designed by HGA
Two interior views from different camera positions of the Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine Visitor Center, designed by Lucito
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