“Leitmotif”
Cities, both past and present, are creative muses for many artists. However, while most people depict small parts of their favorite capital, American artist Benjamin Sack draws the entire scope of urban centers.
Using only a pen on paper, Sack captures fantastical metropolises that are entire worlds in and of themselves. Some of these drawn cities, like Leitmotif, are contained by an invisible, circular wall. This negative space both limits the size of the cityscape and enhances the overwhelming complexity which exists within the borders—in which buildings and bridges eternally ripple through the streets.
Other cities by Sack appear to be situated on the cusp of outer space. In BOXED-In (An Ode to Asteron), the urban planning extends beyond the horizon, creating a window into a dark and speckled sky. Similarly, Icon II depicts a ring of impressive classical buildings that are placed against the same shifting black and white backdrop of the universe.
Also among his newest body of work is a large-scale drawing entitled Roots of Being: Per Aspera ad Astra. “This piece was a massive, Daedalian undertaking that was started at the outset of the initial lockdowns back in March 2020 and finished upon my receiving the first dose of the Moderna [vaccine] in April; a large labyrinth emblematic of the epoch we persevered,” Sack tells My Modern Met. While from afar, this drawing resembles a straight-forward maze, a closer look reveals miniature detailed structures built into the walls of the maze.
You can purchase prints of Sack’s work via his online store, and keep up to date with his latest creations by following the artist on Instagram.
American artist Benjamin Sack creates mesmerizing architecture drawings of surreal metropolises.
“BOXED-IN (An Ode to Asterion)”
Detail of “Leitmotif”
Detail of “Leitmotif”
Detail of “Leitmotif”
“Acoustaglyph”
“A Sensitive Chaos”
“Endurance”
“Icon II (All Seeing)”
“Manhattanesque”
“Tokyo, Japan”
“Roots of Being (Per Aspera Ad Astra)”
“Roots of Being (Per Aspera Ad Astra)”
“Roots of Being (Per Aspera Ad Astra)”
“Roots of Being (Per Aspera Ad Astra)”
“Roots of Being (Per Aspera Ad Astra)”