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A collage of densely packed apartment buildings in muted tones of beige and grey. The structures are fragmented and layered, with a blue wave-like shape running across the bottom.

Cherubino Gambardella's structural illustrations are a real treat

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Date
22 June 2012

Naples-based architect Cherubino Gambardella’s illustrations for his projects are beautifully rendered. In an age where the development of architectural ideas is largely carried out using digital technology, it’s lovely to see something so textured, layered, and varied. Mixing a variety of media, Gambardella’s images conjure up visualisations that evoke, not only the built shapes, but the atmospheres, materials, air-quality, traffic, and weather patterns of these urban environments. You get a strong sense of space and the interactions between structures, and there is also a slightly dark, sinister quality that intrigues as much as it engages.

A mixed-media collage featuring layers of orange and purple textures over architectural imagery. A circular cutout reveals a grid of small, white building facades.
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Cherubino Gambardella

A collage featuring thick, textured strokes of orange and pink paint. To the right, a black and white photograph of a damaged apartment building is partially layered beneath the paint.
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Cherubino Gambardella

A collage of fragmented buildings and architectural elements layered against a brown background. The structures are distorted and overlapping, with a bright white light beaming across the scene from a dark circular source.
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Cherubino Gambardella: Life with Objects – The Manifesto. Mixed Technique on brown paper, 100 × 100cm, Oct 2011

A collage of a towering, haphazard building made from fragmented architectural elements. A bright red dome sits at the top against a dark blue sky with a pale purple moon.
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Cherubino Gambardella: The Common Things – A Declaration. Mixed Media on Brown paper. 100×100cm, Oct 2011

A sketch of a towering, abstract architectural structure composed of stacked, rectangular blocks. Below the drawing, several figures in heavy coats and hats stand looking up at the form.
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Cherubino Gambardella

A digital sketch in white lines on a grey background showing architectural concepts. The image features a tall, cylindrical tower and two different perspective views of a linear building complex.
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Cherubino Gambardella

A mixed-media collage featuring abstract shapes, sketches and handwritten notes on a white background. A thick, dark purple brushstroke curves across the centre, accompanied by a piece of torn yellow paper and scribbled text.
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Cherubino Gambardella

An illustration of a towering, fragmented building composed of interlocking geometric blocks. The structure features a mix of colourful patterns and mirrored surfaces against a plain beige background.
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Cherubino Gambardella: Naples – Collective House in the Spanish Quarters. Mixed technique on printed paper. 90 × 60cm. Nov 2010

A collage of architectural fragments and buildings stacked vertically against a dark grey background. The composition blends various textures, from a grid of small windows to curved, organic facades.
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Cherubino Gambardella: Analagous Milan. Mixed technique on printed paper, 90 × 60 cm. March 2011

A mixed-media collage featuring a large, abstract blue and pink architectural structure. Below the building, a row of empty folding chairs sits in a dry, yellow field beside a single tree.
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Cherubino Gambardella: Marrakech – The Dam Toward the Desert. Mixed technique on paper. 90 × 60cm, Nov 2010

A mixed-media collage featuring a vertical stack of architectural sketches and geometric forms. The composition is layered over a vintage map and a textured beige background, with several thick blue threads running vertically through the centre.
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Cherubino Gambardella: Tokyo – the Carp, the frame and the mask of the samurai. Mixed technique on paper, 90 × 60cm, Dec 2010

An abstract illustration in blue and brown tones. Geometric shapes and architectural forms overlap to create a fragmented, futuristic cityscape.
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Cherubino Gambardella: St Petersburg, Open Yourself to Russia! Mixed technique on paper, 90 × 60 cm, Nov 2010

A mixed-media collage combining a black and white aerial map of a city with abstract, colourful drawings. The bottom half features a dense, patterned grid of red and yellow shapes alongside blue architectural forms.
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Cherubino Gambardella: Manattan, Eight-Million windows. Mixed Technique on paper, 90 × 60cm. Oct 2010

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About the Author

Catherine Gaffney

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