{"id":832,"date":"2021-02-26T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/?p=832"},"modified":"2022-01-25T09:57:10","modified_gmt":"2022-01-25T09:57:10","slug":"10-of-the-worlds-ugliest-cities-transformed-into-works-of-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/10-of-the-worlds-ugliest-cities-transformed-into-works-of-art\/","title":{"rendered":"10 of The World’s ‘Ugliest’ Cities Transformed Into Works of Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last updated on January 25th, 2022 at 09:57 am<\/p>

The cities we live in and visit are exciting, busy and vibrant. But they\u2019re not always beautiful. Skyscrapers, vast expanses of concrete, urban sprawl and lack of planning can lead to some less than pleasing sights. We hate to call cities \u2018ugly\u2019, but some top the polls as being eyesores time and time again.<\/span><\/p>\n

But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One man\u2019s eyesore is another man\u2019s masterpiece, so we wondered what these cities would look like if they were painted in the style of famous artists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Charleroi, Belgium<\/span><\/h2>\n

Vincent Van Gogh<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Charleroi<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve heard of Charleroi in Belgium, it\u2019s probably down to its reputation as \u2018the most depressing city in Europe\u2019. This reputation is built on its post-industrial appearance, dotted with derelict factories and abandoned slag heaps. Not things you\u2019d gaze upon to lift your mood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019d argue that nobody can make somewhere look quite so magical as Van Gogh. His bold, dramatic and colourful pieces evoke emotion and wonder, so early evening or \u2018avond\u2019 would be the perfect time to capture Charleroi at its best.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Charleroi<\/p>\n

Benidorm, Spain<\/span><\/h2>\n

Wassily Kandinsky<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Benidorm\"<\/p>\n

Despite being a much loved holiday destination (particularly for Brits), Benidorm isn\u2019t favoured for its looks. The density of high-rise hotels built to pack in the tourists makes this destination a far cry from a picturesque Spanish paradise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What if we look at Benidorm through the eyes of Kandinsky? Colours and composition are key, and suddenly skyscrapers and busy beachfronts become bright, vibrant and striking. Perhaps this style captures the true emotion of such a fun and vibrant holiday destination.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Benidorm<\/p>\n

Hull, UK<\/span><\/h2>\n

J.M.W Turner<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Hull<\/p>\n

As a romantic painter with a focus on colour and light, what would Joseph Mallord William Turner find of beauty in Hull? A combination of nature and industry, both of which fascinated him can be seen here.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is the Humber bridge a wonderful feat of engineering or a gateway to a grey, dirty city? We think Turner would see the former and capture the atmosphere perfectly. The way the light hits the water of the river and the bridge cuts across the horizon makes a fabulous image.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Hull<\/p>\n

Swindon, UK<\/span><\/h2>\n

Paul Cezanne<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Swindon<\/p>\n

Hailed the \u2018ugliest town in England\u2019, Swindon is known for looking drab and industrial. Notable landmarks seem to be a plethora of roundabouts and car parks, and a bypass to help people miss the city out altogether. Surely it can\u2019t be that bad?<\/span><\/p>\n

We like to imagine Cezanne would bring his beautiful artistic style to the setting, claiming \u2018<\/span>Swindon n\u2019est pas une plongee<\/span><\/i>\u2019 (Swindon is not a dive).\u00a0 His post-impressionist painterly brushstrokes and sun-baked colour blocks can persuade us that even this disused diving board is a thing of great beauty. Swindon would be proud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Swindon<\/p>\n

LA, USA<\/span><\/h2>\n

Claude Monet<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"LA\"<\/p>\n

A congested city, full of massive highways with little attention to design or city planning, L.A doesn\u2019t top the list for its beauty. This congestion leads to smog and urban sprawl makes the city difficult to get around. Add expanses of concrete and wide streets and we\u2019re not painting a picture of elegance or charm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps impressionism can lend a hand. Monet\u2019s focus on brush strokes, light and colour takes the emphasis off the industrial and brings out the natural. This scene over water looks quite idyllic, and we\u2019d be happy to gaze across the \u2018Riviere de Los Angeles\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"LA<\/p>\n

Detroit, USA<\/span><\/h2>\n

Joaquin Sorolla<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Detroit\"<\/p>\n

Spanish painter Sorolla was known for radiant colour, confident brush strokes and capturing everyday life. We imagine that Sorolla wouldn\u2019t so much be focusing on the bridge, buildings and traffic of Detroit but instead how the sunlight played off the objects in question, creating dappled effects of light that could only be found in an urban setting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The amount of concrete, brick and glass is what gives Detroit its reputation for being an \u2018ugly\u2019 city. But an artist like Sorolla would notice the way the light danced off the glass, and how the concrete and brick buildings created dense areas of shade. Detroit through Sorolla\u2019s eyes is quite stunning!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Baltimore, USA<\/span><\/h2>\n

Edouard Manet<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Baltimore<\/p>\n

Densely populated, busy, outdated and dirty, Baltimore is a fairly neglected US city. It\u2019s gritty, dull and dreary. Its inner harbour is one of the more pleasant areas though, with plenty to see and explore. Despite this, the city isn\u2019t quite the inspiring place you\u2019d have expected \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d to have been penned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Manet would be a good choice for painting a contemporary urban scene of this city. His quick, broad brush strokes would help to capture the movement around the working seaport and his realism doesn\u2019t put too much of a glossy sheen on things. We can see the beauty of Baltimore through his eyes.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Baltimore<\/p>\n

Houston, USA<\/span><\/h2>\n

Frank Benson<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Houston<\/p>\n

One of the biggest problems we hear about Houston is its \u2018lack of zoning\u2019 which has lead the city to appear wild and overgrown. Couple this with the usual concrete jungle, busy with traffic and industry and beauty isn\u2019t often what we see.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But even concrete is influenced by light and shade. We like to think that Benson would have focused on the \u2018hazy\u2019 glow that appears when the sunlight hits the concrete roads of Houston. With primitive brushstrokes his impressionist style brings a certain allure even to the mundane.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Houston<\/p>\n

Amman, Jordan<\/span><\/h2>\n

Piet Mondrian<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Amman<\/p>\n

The capital of Jordan ranks in the ‘ugly’ polls for various reasons. A sea of buildings in one colour doesn’t leave a lot of variety to get excited about. Add to this a lack of vegetation and a lot of dust, the city becomes dry and dirty looking. Buildings are often run down too, and most areas are crowded and busy with traffic.<\/p>\n

Amman’s block buildings and lack of colour lend themselves to Mondrian’s abstract style. Hints of colour in a geometric composition provide a different view of this city.<\/p>\n

Cairo, Egypt<\/span><\/h2>\n

Henri Matisse<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Cairo\"<\/p>\n

Covering many artistic styles in his long career, Matisse eventually transitioned to creating cut out collages using paper and scissors. These pieces of colour and contrast used abstract shapes to distil their subject down to its essential elements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps that\u2019s just what we need to find the beauty in busy and industrial Cairo. Dirt, smog and incomplete brick buildings tarnish the image many of us dream this city will be. But pare it back to its basic elements Matisse cutout style and the variety of shapes and styles creates an interesting and visually striking landscape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cairo<\/p>\n

Brought to you by internal and external doors<\/a> specialists Express Doors Direct.<\/p>\n

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Last updated on January 25th, 2022 at 09:57 amThe cities we live in and visit are exciting, busy and vibrant. But they\u2019re not always beautiful. Skyscrapers, vast expanses of concrete, urban sprawl and lack of planning can lead to some less than pleasing sights. We hate to call cities \u2018ugly\u2019, but some top the polls […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-just-for-fun"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=832"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1443,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832\/revisions\/1443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}