Bicycles As Art Objects

I can’t ride a bicycle. Hence my tongue in cheek participation in a Twitter trend a few years ago, #ThingsWeWillProbablyNeverHear. My contribution was: ‘Dorothy rode a bicycle’. I can’t ride them, but I can appreciate their beauty and they feature in my work quite regularly. I love building stories around them with my images.

Bicycles As Art

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving

Albert Einstein

There may be some truth in what Einstein says and it may explain why I always fell off when I tried to ride a bike. But do you know, for me at least, the attractiveness of a bicycle as an artistic item is when it is not being ridden.

The Colorful Bicycle

This stunning bicycle was just asking to be photographed.

Actually, I had walked passed it. It was only when I turned back to check I hadn’t missed anything that I saw it. Just to reinforce the point I made in earlier blog (In Search of the Hidden View) about looking all around so you don’t miss anything!

The bicycle was hastily tied up outside a building in Hove, UK; very loosely tied to the black metal railings. The impression was that the rider had popped indoors for something and would be back shortly. The attractiveness of this particular bike is the beautiful colurs. If I ever own a bicycle (unlikely, I refer the reader to my opening paragraph) it will be like this one.

The Shadow of a Bicycle

What is so attractive about this image, taken in Tavernelle, Umbria in Italy, is the shadow of the bicycle.

This is quite a cute bicycle, with a pannier at the back. Indeed the owner of the bicycle has parked it in the bike rack outside a supermarket. Before long the pannier will be filled with her groceries.

On a bright morning, the sun is low in the sky and casts a fabulous shadow of the bicycle on the ground. It is the shadow that makes this shot.

You will notice a theme of parked bicycles. It is as much how they have been left as the bike itself that makes the image work as an artistic piece.

Suspended in Brighton

I love the way this bicycle is left suspended in mid air, hanging from the Victorian railings on the seafront promenade at Brighton in East Sussex, UK.

The red of the bicycle frame is particularly pleasing against the blue of the Victorian railings on which it has been padlocked. Note there is a slight shadow below the bike. But what really makes this shot is the ruins of the West Pier to the rear of the image, a wonderful juxtaposition of decay with a bright, shiny, new toy.

But where has the rider gone? To one of the beach bars or for a swim in the sea?

Bicycle At the Seaside

There appears to be a theme of leaving bicycles attached to the Victorian railings on the seafront in Brighton. In this image, we see a beautiful summer day has brought out people to walk along the promenade. Some are sitting on a bench looking out to sea. In the foreground is a bicycle padlocked to the railings. The sun casts a shadow of the bicycle and railings on the sidewalk.

Where is the rider of the bicycle? Is he or she on the viewing tower looking down on the bicycle and the beach area? Is he or she down on the beach or taking a swim? Or sitting on the bench? What do you think?

Bicycles Used For Decoration

I have two favorite images of bicycles that have been used for decoration. Both from Cortona in Tuscany as it happens. The first is this one which is being used as a floral display outside a restaurant. Now this sort of bicycle I can relate to! No riding, just watering.

Then how could I resist a purple bike used as part of a shop display? And given my love of the color purple and my habit of glancing down every alleyway just in case there is something I should know about.

Bicycles Blending in with the Scenery

The last image I have selected is of a couple of bicycles left at the ferry dock in Passigano sul Trasimeno in Umbria, Italy.

This is a very scenic area. Lago Trasimeno has three islands and it is possible to take a ferry ride to the islands or across to Castiglione del Lago on the far side of the lake.

The bicycles have been left almost casually, not obviously secured. Where are the riders? Have they gone to buy tickets for the ferry or to check timings? Have they left their bikes and gone on a ferry ride?

Again, you can build a little story around the way the bicycles have been left. And in the background, sticking out of the lake is a lake sculpture in memory of pilots testing aircraft. A nice homage to the concept of transport.

As you can see, bicycles can be beautiful! Bicycles as art can depict the beauty of the bike and the freedom it affords the rider.

Where to purchase the images in this article

Each of the images in my blog today are available to purchase, just click on the image to be taken to a page with more information.

You can also view my collection of bicycle images at my Pictorem store (free delivery in USA and Canada) and at my Art Heroes store (free or reduced shipping within Europe).

I also have a calendar of twelve beautiful photo art images featuring bicycles. It is available to purchase on Amazon, just change the country designation in the URL to the country in which you live.

This post was originally published in 2017 but has been updated and republished 19 May 2022.

Before you go

My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.

You can follow me on Facebook.

Thank you for reading!