Rittenhouse Square represents many things to many people, but to John Dowell, an artist who has returned to the square time after time, it represents the artistry of space. Looking through the trees, at the reflections in the windows, at the empty early morning benches, Dowell captures more than a social epicenter of Philadelphia; he wants people to discover the hidden splendors of the park, such as the deep blue sky of dusk reflected on the trees, or architectural patterns contorted in vintage glass windows. Dowell’s photographs of above and below the trees feel intimate, often because we can see right into a window of a building, or catch a glimpse of a group of friends through the branches. In such moments, Rittenhouse Square feels like an interior space itself, with four walls of high-rise buildings in the company of trees.
CITYSCAPES
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