Post apocalyptic Dioramas

 

Lori Nix is a New York based photographer who specializes in constructing dioramas and photographing these. One of her projects is "The City" showing a post apocalyptic dioramas of Art museums, Broadway theaters, laundromats and bars etc.

She tells also that she's very interested in depicting danger and disaster, and greatly influenced by landscape painting, particularly the Hudson River School and the Romantic painter Casper David Friedrich.

Why doesn't this surprise me.

More photos here

 

Gothic Tradition

Some covers of juvenile thriller and mystery novels by the American illustrator Charles Geer. Ruins are used here in the British gothic tradition as icons of mystery, suspense and horror.

Medieval Heritage

These images are from the book "The Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain" (1807-14) by John Britton.

Despite the illustration are very typical for 19th century books they are surprising in a historical context. Only few years before artists used to travel to Italy where they painted classical ruin scenarios.

Kenilworth


Lindisfarne

In the aesthetic of ruins this was a great step from these classical roman ruins to the own "homemade" ones. It was a step towards romanticism and towards national history. The ruins of Romanesque and Gothic architecture became symbols of a national heritage.

Beksiński’s Nightmares

Zdzisław Beksiński (1929–2005) was an important Polish artist who became famous for his surrealistic post-apocalyptic paintings.


In many of this disturbing sceneries ruins are playing an important part as symbols of death and decay. Also interesting is that he combines sometimes ruins with body parts which underlines the death metaphor of the ruins.

Old India

Ruins south Old Delhi. Two steel engravings published c.1860. These typical 19th century and very romantic pictures are already presenting ruins as exotic artifacts.

Böcklin's Tomb

This painting by the German artist Ferdinand Keller (1842-1922) refers to the Swiss Symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin and his most famous painting "Isle of the Dead".

Böcklin's Tomb is no ruin, but it’s already covered by plants and well integrated into nature. Ashes to ashes…

Past and Present

The Past (1838)

The Present (1838)

The English-American artist Thomas Cole (1801-1848) confronts here two paintings showing the same castle in different epochs, first in the middle ages during it’s best time, second today as a ruin. In the painting of the actual castle this is allegorically illuminated by the evening sun. Ruin – evening – death.
These very, very romantic paintings are illustrating the romantic glorification of ruins, death and decay.

Maybe it should be mentioned that neither the old castle nor the actual one are depictions of a real castle, they are pure fantasy.

Romantic Ruin Paintings

Romantic Ruin Paintings by the Swiss symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901).



It’s evident how important is a spectacular illumination for a good ruin image, for photos as well.

Winter

The sunny Colosseum by Alma-Tadema compared to this painting by Caspar David Friedrich.

Winter (1807/08)

It’s pure symbolism. The ruin, the dead tree, the old lonely monk, the snow, the rare light. All indicates failure and death. But there is no horror, this death is luring, promising peace and rest.

(There exist only black and white reproductions because the original was destroyed by fire in 1931).

Romantic Monastery

The ruins of a monastery by the German painter Carl Hasenpflug (1802–1858)

A nice romantic ruin painting in the good old Caspar David Friedrich tradition.