Urban Paintings

Architecture in painting

Modern urban paintings actually have roots that date back hundreds of years. It was during the Renaissance that architecture in its form was depicted in a painting. Rediscovering ancient cities and ruins was the main way for artists like Botticelli (Adoration of the Magi) to transmit the feeling of a powerful civilization whose time had passed. This contrasted with the Medieval Period in which artists where inspired by the architecture of their own era. 

Thus religious scenes and castles were staged in a typically medieval décor. Nonetheless, Renaissance painters also took into account their "urban" environments (eg. Masaccio's St Peter Healing the Sick with his Shadow and The Raising of Tabitha), as did the painters of the 17th and 18th centuries.

It was not until the avant-gardistes of the 20th century that architecture and the city became primary subjects in modern urban paintings, leading to a pictorial revolution in urban art paintings. These included the Cubists, who broke all the codes of representation in modern urban paintings, distorting the concept of perspective and relegating it to a single plane (ex: Picasso, Mediterranean Landscape).

Evolution of architecture and modern urban paintings

Since moving into urban spaces, leaving behind the forests and countryside, man has continually found ever-ingenious ways of increasing the comfort of their living spaces. Architecture has constantly evolved since the first constructions and continually captivated artists who have been left astounded by the creativity of architects. The home is no longer simply a synonym of comfort, it has become an authentic work of art rooted in architectural prowess.

Although questions of perspective and composition were only understood and assimilated by painters in the Renaissance, the depiction of living spaces in painting (castles, houses, huts, cottages) has existed since man first picked up a brush. The simple décor framing an interior scene in the Middle Ages gradually disappeared in the Renaissance, being replaced by the bold and complex architectural representations of the era. Nonetheless, whilst painters remained faithful to real architecture, they were also able to create a space using varied resources, taking inspiration from their architectural cultural and sometimes imagining utopian and improbable architecture.

Finally, architecture helped create a unique atmosphere in modern urban paintings, a genre scene of everyday life, and must be considered in the 20th century for its plastic character, in which volumes were emphasized with the Cubists and Futurists.