American Gas Station Project, Ithaca, New York, Perspective
Massimo Scolari
Italian, born 1943
1975
This etching by Massimo Scolari presents an imaginative proposal for a gas station in Ithaca, New York, using architectural drawing to fold building, machine, and fantasy into a single surreal construct.
You first notice a heavy, brick‑like structure set on a stippled mound and then your eye is pulled upward to a bright blue, winged container suspended by faint perspective lines, creating a tense, dreamlike contrast between grounded mass and airborne geometry.
The work exemplifies Scolari’s 1970s project of turning perspective drawing into a speculative, narrative tool—challenging conventional architectural representation and opening space for conceptual and poetic approaches to design.
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
12 1/2 x 10 1/16" (31.8 x 25.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Robert K. and Barbara J. Straus Family Foundation
Accession
277.1999
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
