Shot of the Day - # 50 – Brutalism with a Flair

Brutalism with a Flair

Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco (30 November 2024)

By now, you understand that my photographic interests clearly do not involve living human subjects. I am drawn to landscapes and living, natural things but I also appreciate architecture and the designs of man-made objects. My State House Odyssey is as much about the beauty of rotundas, stairways and chambers as it is about the history of the place.

In 2017, there was the ‘Urban Abstracts’ post that presented portions of modern buildings connected or rotated to create new perspectives. I also enjoy framing a discrete view of a constructed space…one that emphasizes its balance of geometric shapes or patterns.

A new movie has reintroduced the concept of ‘brutalist’ architecture, the post WW II style that emphasized concrete form and function over decorative design elements. Our most recent vacation included a visit to Casablanca, Morocco. While the grand Hassan II Mosque has artistic features and magnificent details throughout, I wanted to isolate this one stairway…simple…balanced. Half angular. Half decorative. To my eye, totally exquisite.