Whether they depict their home towns or places from afar, cityscape artists have something in common: the passion for travelling that they share with the viewer.
Cityscapes are the perfect medium for discovering new places and new cultures, travelling mentally from the comfort of your home, to places you have already been to or would one day like to visit. Even though the artists often offer their own interpretation of a place, they still capture its characteristics through colours, architecture and general ambiance.
From the simple bird’s eye view of the first century (as well as 16th – 18th centuries) to today’s variety in depicting cities, the cityscape has known various forms throughout history. It was Jan Vermeer who established this genre in the 17th century and since then it has flourished and then declined up until today, when the cityscape started to gain more popularity with both artists and collectors.
There are many ways of painting a cityscape, from the realistic approach to the abstract representation of a city, the latter being increasingly popular on the contemporary art scene.
“I don’t try to copy any particular city skyline but only use as reference to colour tones and values which changes according to artistic atheistic and juxtaposition of colours. Blocks of colours and simple textures are what abstract interpretation is what I strive for. I don’t want to confuse the eye with details which will take away from the initial feeling and composition” says Eraclis Aristidou.
From various facets of Venice to London and New York, a cityscape is like travelling by surrounding yourself with art. Enjoy!
