A 'cityscape' is the urban equivalent of a
landscape. 'Townscape' is roughly synonymous with ''cityscape,'' though it of course implies the same difference in urban size and density (and even modernity) implicit in the difference between the words ''city'' and ''town''. In
urban design the terms refer to the configuration of built forms and interstitial space. In the
visual arts a cityscape (urban landscape) is an artistic representation, such as a
painting,
drawing,
print or
photograph, of the physical aspects of a
city or urban area.
History of cityscapes in art
From the 'first century A.D.' dates a fresco at the Baths of Trajan in Rome depicting a bird's eye view of an ancient city. In 'the Middle Ages' cityscapes appeared as a background for portraits and biblical themes. From 'the 16th up to the 18th century' numerous copperplate prints and etchings were made showing cities in
bird's eye view. The function of these prints was to provide a map-like overview.
'Halfway the 17th century' the cityscape became an independent genre in the Netherlands. In his famous 'View of Delft' in 1660-1661 Jan Vermeer painted a quite accurate portrait of the city Delft. Cities like Amsterdam, Haarlem and The Hague also became popular subjects for paintings. Painters from other European countries (Great Britain, France, Germany) followed the Dutch example. 'The 18th century' was a flourishing period for cityscape painting in Venice (
Canaletto,
Guardi).
At the 'end of the 19th century' the
impressionists focused on the atmosphere and dynamics of
everyday life in the city. Suburban and industrial areas, building sites and railway-yards also became subjects for cityscapes. During 'the 20th century' the attention became focused on abstract and conceptual art, by this the production of cityscapes declined. American painter
Edward Hopper, who stayed loyal to figurative painting, created intriguing images of the American scene. With a revival of figurative art at 'the end of the 20th century' comes a revaluation of the cityscape. Well-known living cityscape painters are
Rackstraw Downes,
Antonio López García, and
Richard Estes . American artist
Yvonne Jacquette has made a specialty of
aerial cityscapes.
Some famous painters who practiced cityscape-painting were:
See also
★
Skyline
★
Veduta
★
Landscape art
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