Almost 700 years ago, in 1335, Ambrogio Lorenzetti painted the fresco City by the Sea, considered the first cityscape in western art. Previously buildings and cities were used as backgrounds in paintings, but this was the first time where the subject matter itself was the buildings. Over the next seven centuries, cities and buildings certainly continued to find their way into artistic pieces, but still more often used as a background element rather than the main subject.
In the 1970s, photorealists like Richard Estes and John Baeder took a new look at buildings as subject matter. In fact, they purposely took out all human activity entirely. Even reflections in windows were void any indications of people. These stark architectural landscapes seemed cold compared to typical depictions of the cities full of people and their active lives.
The display of Cityscapes includes a serigraph (screen print) by Baeder, but also includes Alexander Chen's depiction of a parade in New York's Times Square. Chen's piece is the direct opposite of Baeders, full of life to the extreme. Like a Richard Scarry book, one can spend a long time searching out at all of the activities taking place. Also included is a piece by an ultra art technician, Philip C Thompson, a master of fine line etching with a depiction of his local Chicago area. And last we include well-known Wisconsin artist Frances Myers who was also known for her print pieces featuring buildings.
Times Square Parade, Seriolithograph...Alexander Chen (Chinese, b 1952) Born in Canton China, Chen migrated to the USA in the late 1980s. He's known for his overactive realistic city scenes, often populated with crowds of people in various activities.
Chicago's Gold Coast, Etching...Philip C Thompson (American 1948-2022) Thompson is a midwest artist mainly known for his etchings of cityscapes (Chicago in particular) and baseball fields.
Blue Beacon, Serigraph...John Baeder (American, b 1938) John Baeder is considered a founding member of the photorealist movement. Baeder is best known for his depiction of roadside diners.
Presidio Palace, Aquatint and stencil...Frances Myers (American, 1936-2014) Wisconsin native Frances Myers used a variety of techniques in her printmaking. She is best known for her prints that included buildings as the main subject. Myers received two National Endowment for the Arts National Fellowships. She taught at UW-Madison for 20 years and was married to well-known artist Warrington Colescott.