Architectural Abstractions

The paintings represent an ongoing exploration of the duality of architecture being both abstract and integrated with the natural environment.  My work can be characterized as a continual study of the horizontal and the vertical, of exterior and interior space and, of the land and the sky.  Layers, transitions, offsets and shifts define horizontal and vertical space and further represent the development of concepts in the design of architectural space.  My paintings are a means to this exploration of shapes as definers of space.  The shapes represent space shown in plan, section or elevation and may be read as a plan or a section or an elevation of a structure in its environment.

 My paintings are further influenced by the natural and built environment in northern Italy.  The yellow, ochre and smoky olive-green colors in the landscape as well as the ancient, degenerating buildings that reveal their many layers of multi-colored plaster and stucco are developed in abstraction.  The quality of light is extraordinary and the colors are incredibly vivid and intense.

 My work is also influenced by the great American architect Louis Kahn's concept of light having meaning only when it meets a wall and by the great Swiss architect Mario Botta's belief that architecture begins not with a stone being placed on a stone but a stone being placed in the land. 

 The paintings are acrylic on canvas or mixed media on paper. 

Peter Alberice is a practicing architect and artist living in Asheville, North Carolina.  He has both bachelor and master degrees in architecture from the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech.  His work has been exhibited in several group shows and galleries in the region and has been purchased by individual and corporate collectors.