In his Brutalist Pool Series, digital artist Massimo Colonna, who is based in Italy, returns to the swimming pool, a motif from his earlier work, and builds it entirely from raw concrete. The series is a tribute to the principles of Brutalism and treats concrete as a material worth looking at for its own sake.
Concrete, softened
The grey concrete in these images is austere, but Colonna softens it with smoothed edges, careful proportions and surface texture. Water, sky and greenery balance the hard, artificial forms, so the pools read as calm places you might want to be in rather than forbidding structures.
Why Brutalism
The name comes from béton brut, meaning raw concrete, and has nothing to do with how harsh the buildings can look. The style grew in post-war Europe in the 1950s out of ideals of social progress and was used for shared buildings such as libraries, schools, theatres, government offices and affordable housing. It followed the modernist idea of removing ornament and showing the materials of construction: concrete, steel and glass.
The style later fell out of favour. Critics found it austere and linked it with urban decay, and many buildings aged badly as the concrete stained and crumbled. In recent years, interest in Brutalism has been growing again.
As a general point, a single raw material can feel welcoming when its edges, proportions and surroundings are handled with care, which is the quality these images explore.
Project credits
- Series: Brutalist Pool Series
- Digital artist: Massimo Colonna (Italy)
- Source: The Cool Hunter