Barrera-Rosa's

Robert Cottingham was born in Brooklyn and studied at the Pratt Institute. He is known for his paintings and prints of the urban scene and frequently depicts buildings facades, shop fronts, and--as here--signs. This lithograph is part of a suite of the three; the other versions are done in woodcut and etching. Barrera-Rosa’s depicts the signage of a group of storefronts along an urban street. The perspective and scale place the viewer as a passerby who is positioned to become part of this everyday city scene, aware of ordinary places and small businesses often forgotten yet instrumental to the wellbeing of a community. Making this content the center of his work alludes to his sympathy for small businesses that were being chewed up by big corporations in metropolitan areas.

His fascination with cityscapes stemmed from his travels to cities like New York and Los Angeles where he was influenced by artists such as Edward Hopper, Charles Demuth, Stuart Davis, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, and others. This led Cottingham to test the limits of scale, lighting, color saturation, and aesthetic. His subject matter includes images of signs and logos as well as other everyday objects. He works with various media including: paintings in oil and acrylics, as well as various techniques of printmaking. His experience with multiple mediums allowed him to play with their relationship; often having the paintings influence the prints and vice versa.

A decision Cottingham made early in his career was to leave human figures out of his works. He believed they were too storytelling, and hoped to convey their presence and endeavors without ever having to include them.

June Hodge ‘21

Similar Images (Lithography)