ABSTRACTION

Abstraction, by definition, is the process of deriving general concepts from a concrete object or a specific instance. In other words, abstraction is the process of breaking down an object or an idea into a series of general bits that is easier to understand. Diagrams such as the one to the right, abstracts the facade of the Rietveld-Schroder House and breaks it down into simple lines found within the facade. In a similar way, drawings by David Adjaye, a Ghanian-British architect, makes use of abstraction within his drawings in order to compress a multitude of ideas into one plane. His drawing of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a building Adjaye himself contributed in the design, starks greatly from the drawing below. In real life, the museum is defined by its combination of numerous interlocking pieces that create a sense of texture whereas in his drawing below, Adjaye simplifies the facade into one singular plane.

David Adjaye / 2010 / Sketch of Smithsonian National Museum of African American Arts and Culture [2]

(Top) Abstracted Elevation of RietveldSchroder House

(Bottom) Gerrit Rietveld / 1924

Rietveld Schroder House Elevation