I punti di vista e le vedute di città dal XIII al XX secolo. Viewpoints and urban vistas from the 13th to 20th century, Catalogo della Mostra, Exibit Catalogue

In the construction of city views, complex and effective models for the communication of the urban image have been progressively refined throughout different historical periods. Portrayals of cities carefully composed by specialists in perspective drawing and architecture show the features of their beauty and symbols of their traditions to the world. At the time, they showed, without fully revealing them, the elements of their military strength and geographical positions: elements rendered through the art of conceiving city views in keeping with specific artistic approaches and distinct means of expression. Every view is a message in which artistic content and narrative meaning are woven into a drawing often created with the input of many other artists. The conception of the work was followed by successive phases of surveying and detailed execution, within a tradition which, from the late Middle Ages onward, was progressively enriched by technical innovations regarding the most effective rules of perspective. Various elements contribute to the analysis of the works; among them, the search for the point of view at the beginning of the narrative which is inextricably linked to the city’s cartographic image. Physically rooted in place, it helps reveal the rules that each city created over the centuries to show its face