Building Facade Photos Will Fool You into Thinking They’re Abstract Paintings

At first glance, it’s hard to know what you’re looking at in these photographs by Roland Fischer. Are they abstract paintings? Optical illusions? They’re neither. Instead, the Munich- and Beijing-based photographer has captured the beauty of building exteriors in his series called Facades. The project, which began 15 years ago, highlights the bold coloring and patterning of structures in major metropolitan areas including Tokyo, Melbourne, and Atlanta. His strong compositions have a nice visual rhythm and are pleasing to view.

Fischer photographs a relatively small section of each building. What’s incredible about this is that, as a whole, these different places don’t seem to have a distinct look to give away their location. “I noticed all these new buildings mushrooming everywhere, giving the impression that they could as well be from any other major town in the world,” Fischer told Slate. “I thought that this was a new urban visual experience, a consequence naturally of the then still new process of globalization.” The places vary in use, too. Fischer depicts banks, corporate headquarters, museums, and even high schools.

The photographer’s work on Facades has recently been made into a book released by Hirmer Publishers. It contains 100 of these stunning sights from all around the globe.

Above: Museum, Munich

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