Chryssa began working with neon in 1962, creating large-scale neon works using faux letters rather than legible characters. Reduced to base semiotics, her letterforms became examinations of language, technology, and their evolution and degradation over time, and whether the two modes can be distinguished. CITYSCAPE, “de crea ice” or “creates ice, ” is a non-abstracted example of Chryssa’s textual work, inspired by Times Square signage, distilling dense sensory chaos into controlled commercial form. Chyrssa highlights the role of text, scale, and form in advertising in CITYSCAPE, though notably, no product is being sold.

CITYSCAPE by Chryssa, Greek (1933–2013)
De Crea Ice, "Creates Ice"
Date: 1988
Acrylic, Watercolor, and Mixed Media on Paper Laid on Wood Panel with Neon Light
Image Size: 51.18 x 39.37 x 4.92 in. (130 x 100 x 12.5 cm)