New York City buildings are constructed using a number of architectural styles, from the Gothic Revival style of St. Patrick’s Cathedral to the New York Public Library built in a Beaux-Arts style, and everything eclectic you can think of. José Guízar, a visual artist from Mexico, illustrates this variety of architectural styles in his project, Windows of New York. Guizar moved from a town outside of Mexico City to New York and became fascinated by Manhattan’s windows. On his website, Guízar says that each of the windows “that somehow have caught my restless eye out from the never-ending buzz of the streets.”
In an interview withWired, Guízar says he noticed that “every neighborhood has has a distinct architectural identity. He has illustrated windows in a number of New York City neighborhoods including the Theater District, Chinatown, Gramercy, Park Slope and the Upper East Side.
The illustrations that Guízar creates are rendered Adobe Illustrator and are created a colorful style that is influenced by his home country. “I probably use neon pink more than other people would,” he tells Wired. “The visual culture of Mexico probably has something to do with it.”
The artist says he has a photo archive of over 1000 windows that he uses for inspiration. “I do my normal thing and whenever I spot one I really like, I just take a picture of it.” The clean aesthetic is also reminiscent of the popular Paris vs. New York series by Vahram Muratyan.
Guízar says that he hopes his artwork will be an archive for future generations to look back on. “Because who knows, in 50 years the Lower East Side could be all luxury condos.” Check out more of Guízar’s work on the Windows of New York website or his personal website joseguizar.com.
100 Rivington Street – Illustration by José Guízar
