Hills and Buildings, Folsom Street, San Francisco 1979

Curator: Robert De Niro Sr.’s "Hills and Buildings, Folsom Street, San Francisco" from 1979 offers a compelling look at the urban landscape. What are your initial impressions? Editor: It's immediately striking, the thick impasto application of the oil paint. There's a dynamic energy to the brushstrokes that evokes a sense of rapid construction, maybe even the frenetic pace of urban life itself. Curator: I find the subject matter particularly relevant considering Folsom Street's role as a central location for San Francisco’s leather subculture in the late 70s, a community facing many challenges in that period. I wonder how this history intersects with De Niro Sr.’s portrayal. Editor: Interesting. Though it is fairly abstracted, notice how De Niro plays with planes of color. The ochre building is situated next to a structure in deep blue. These color juxtapositions work almost to flatten pictorial space. The buildings appear nearly superimposed onto one another. Curator: This distortion could perhaps speak to the erasure or marginalization of certain communities. Consider the economic pressures that pushed people out of the city then. De Niro Sr.’s abstract style could indirectly comment on these socio-political currents of urban development and displacement. Editor: I can see that. What I also observe, in relation to your points, is how he uses light and shadow. The handling of the light in this city scene has to do with not only its visibility but its relationship to space itself. It has a weight, even a tension in how it obscures some areas of the landscape. Curator: Absolutely, and the artist, despite focusing on a specific street, touches on broader issues related to urban space, identity, and community, reflecting his era. Editor: A fascinating work, revealing how formal artistic choices resonate deeply with wider social conditions. Curator: Indeed, it offers an intimate insight into the past while allowing a platform to address contemporary issues of today.