Frank Soltesz - Storyteller

The tiny people in Frank Soltesz's factories and industrial plants seem, of necessity, like ants in a colony or worker bees in a hive -- their clothing largely indistinguishable from each other and their activities mostly unified in the process of completing some mundane task.

But when Soltesz painted cutaways of buildings like hotels and hospitals, he invested each tiny person with an individual identity. Through the unique characteristics and actities of these miniature people, Frank Soltesz truly became a storyteller.


What does the solitary man looking out the fourth floor corner window contemplate? Does he know about the poker game going on in the room below his feet? And as we peek in on room after room of people socializing, eating and working we have to wonder about the lonely fellow sitting in isolation in the basement corner boiler room.

Just as fascinating are the variety of the people and situations in the hospital. From the fathers admiring their newborn babies to the patients taking some fresh air on the rooftop patio to the dark humour of having the operating rooms located directly above the cafeteria meat locker, Soltesz gives us a god-like glimpse into the lives of a hundred unique individuals whose circumstances we can only begin to imagine.

Unfortunately, due to a torn corner, we may never know what transpired in the hospital's west wing...


If you haven't yet taken a look at my Frank Soltesz Flickr set, today is the day to spend a few minutes enjoying this wonderful artist's efforts in all its glorious detail!