John Marx's watercolours, first published in the Architectural Review, are a captivating example of an architect's way of thinking. Subtle and quiet they are nonetheless compelling works in how they tackle a sense of place, of inhabiting space and time all the while resonating with the core of one's inner being. There is an existential quality to these watercolours that is rare to be found in this medium. Something akin to the psychologically piercing observational quality of artists like De Chirico or Hopper. As architects strive to communicate their ideas, it is interesting to explore the world of Marx's watercolours as an example of a humane approach to conveying emotional meaning in relation to our environment. Marx's subject matter read like"built landscape" heightening the role of the manmade yet wholly in balance with the natural world. This is a message and sentiment that is perhaps more important than ever to relay to audiences. AUTHOR: John Marx, AIA, is the founding design principal of Form4 Architecture in San Francisco, CA. He advocates for the inclusion of Philosophy, Art, and Poetry in the thoughtful making of place. Keenly aware that architecture is a balancing act between self expression and collaboration, he uses the compelling power of form to create emotionally resonant architecture and urban spaces. John s design work, and writing has been published in over 100 national and international publications. He has widely lectured on the topics of Design, Placemaking, Emotional Meaning and Cultural Vibrancy in Silicon Valley and places as diverse as Korea, Italy, Austria, Australia, Canada and the Technion in Israel. John exhibited his work at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale and exhibited during 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale at GAFF. SELLING POINT: John Marx's watercolours, first published in the Architectural Review, are a captivating example of an architect's way of thinking
Industry Reviews
"?tudes-The Poetry of Dreams + Other Fragments is a new book from ORO Editions, exploring the architectural drawings and poetry of San Francisco-based architect John Marx. Marx, a principal at Form4 Architecture, has contributed paintings for a series in The Architectural Review, and the richly detailed watercolours instantly evoke a sense of time and place that goes far beyond the conventional architectural rendering. There are over 80 images in the book, each conjuring up realms and forms that suggest a world of hazy neo-surrealism. One of the accompanying essays explores the historic role of watercolour in presenting architectural futures-it was the style of choice for centuries before photorealistic digital renders raised our expectations to stratospheric levels, removing all aspects of mystery in the process. Marx's work operates on a different level, and the fragmentary, dream-like worlds his paintings conjure up are paired with his own poetry, created a rounded, immersive monograph designed to get lost in." -Wallpaper.com
"In both his architecture and his art, John Marx displays his extraordinary ability at seeing--paying attention to full experiences, from what is before him, to how the light falls, even the atmosphere, both actual and subjective. That he is a top-notch artist who captures these moments of attention in watercolor is just one of his gifts to us." --Linda Connor, Photographer
"John Marx's visual discourse between logic and the soul, between linear and organic, between the picture plane and the limpid depth of concept, establishes the foundation for a kind of visual poetry that lets readers find joy in traversing between concept and practice. The book is really about losing oneself in this seductive journey of what is both a charming and hypnotic body of work." --Lonnie Graham, cultural activist, fine arts photographer
"The poetics of ?tudes are compelling. The poems within play with open space, linework, and non-invasive markings to texture and guide the flow of reading. In their verbal substance, the pregnant subtlety of some poems reminds me of Master Basho's enigmatic haikus." -ZYZZYVA.org
"The reader is instantly drawn by the quality of the watercolours, which are simple, precise and thought-provoking. They strike me as having both an intellectual and emotional meaning through their pared down simplicity and exactitude." -TearsInTheFence.com
"There is a sense of condensed observation and acceptance of life, and humility in the face of beauty, in his poetry which accompanies John's abstracted and refined watercolors--words flowing in space as thoughts journey across the pages--perhaps reflecting the architect's loss of free expression as his internal imagination and artistic soul face the grinding realities of the world of construction." --Ian Ritchie, CBE RA RIBA, director of Ian Ritchie Architects Ltd.
"?tudes is a rare thing amongst architecture books. Its subject is neither built nor unbuilt projects but instead imaginary places and abstract compositions by San Francisco architect John Marx. Rendered in delicate watercolours, Marx's places are dreamlike and akin to the structure and sentiments of his taut poetry that sits alongside pages of his painting...Curiously, the quiet streets and vacant landscapes of Marx's imagination speak to us in an acutely timely fashion as we find ourselves in a new world of empty cities closed for business, a world that feels as if it has come to a standstill...The book has been designed as an art object in its own right and this is heightened by the choice of a heavy watercolour paper. The 84 watercolours and 40 short poems laid out by graphic designer Jeremy Mende give a strong play between visual form and semantic meaning." -ArchDaily.com
"If the watercolors of John Marx, Chief Artistic Officer of San Francisco's Form4 Architecture, are documents of his travels, he has been venturing through natural and urban landscapes that are a mix of the real and the imaginary. The urban vistas, such as those shown in the spreads below, look both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. They look like American cities, but not necessarily particular ones, much less specific places in named cities. Marx reveals as much in his short essay--one of four in the book, which includes those by Laura Iloniemi, Owen Hopkins, and Pierluigi Serraino--when he calls the watercolors "part real, part dream, part form approaching abstraction." -ADailyDoseOfArchitecture.com
"John Marx is that comparative rarity: an architect whose working method is informed by his poetry. His paintings live somewhere in between poem and building--generated from ideas about space and time, enriched by color, form, and the prospect of things to come."--Paul Finch, editorial director, The Architectural Review
