Thomas Fransioli worked in architecture before becoming an artist. He made many paintings of cities, called cityscapes. He started painting cityscapes of Boston, Massachusetts. He became very popular there, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts purchased one of his paintings at his first solo exhibition. Later, he traveled the country and painted 30 large-scale cityscapes for the covers of a weekly magazine named Collier’s. “Rain in Charleston” was painted during one of these trips. The street and intersection really existed in Charleston, South Carolina. What do you notice about the place in this painting?
“Rain in Charleston” uses color and reflection to show a city scene after a rainstorm. The houses and the clouds in the sky are painted in gray colors. There aren’t many people outside. How many can you see? The water collecting in the streets has become a swirling mass of reflected buildings and clouds. What do you think is the mood of this painting? What details can you find that help create that mood?
In this activity, you’ll use markers and water to create your own reflected cityscape.
Thomas Fransioli (American, 1906 – 1997), “Rain in Charleston,” 1951. Oil on canvas, 22 1/4 × 26 inches. The Schoen Collection: Magic Realism.
For this activity you will need:
- paper
- washable markers
- spray bottle with water
- pencil
- (optional: ruler to help draw straight line)
To make your cityscape reflection:
- Fold a piece of paper in half and draw a line with your pencil through the middle of the paper. Imagine a city scene. What is the weather? What time of day is it? Is it a busy city with lots of people or an empty one?
- Draw your city with markers on the top half of the paper. Think about what mood you want your work of art to have. Choose colors and details that reflect that mood. Try drawing buildings in different sizes and shapes.
- Finish drawing and lay the paper on top of a towel. Spray the bottom half of the paper with water. Some of the colors on the top might start to drip, but don’t worry.
- Fold the paper in half. Rub it to press the sides together.
- Let the paper dry. Then open it to reveal your reflected cityscape. How is the reflected city on the bottom of the paper similar to your original drawing? What has changed?