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Drawing the urban landscape

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Exploring the city with pen and sketchbook

This is the online version of a book that contains sketchbook drawings of an urban landscape (7X20 inch,double page size) done on site between April 2006 and May 2007 in the city of Stuttgart,Germany.
The city with about 600 000 inhabitants is an agglomerate of small towns that have merged over the years. The region is in rapid development and the expansion of the suburbs still continues. Residential and industrial areas are still growing in places around the city. A metropolitan region with dramatic change of landscape seems to be the future.
Initially the intention was to use the sketches merely as source for a series of monotype prints for an exhibition project in may 2007.

During the project however the sketchbook gained importance not only as indispensable basis for printmaking, but also as independent work. Whereas it was possible to develop variations of monotype prints, each with different expression, from the same sketch, the sketch itself retained its uniqueness and seemed to gain value with each print derived from it as irreplaceable source. Furthermore all memories of location, weather, encounters with people and emotions of the draughtsman seemed to be attached to these drawings and loaded them with inspiration.

"Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but less interesting than looking." (Goethe)

Here you can access directly the complete album of drawings

There is also a public google map of the locations where the drawings were done
Stadtlandschaft Stuttgart google map

For those who want to learn about drawing houses there are some tipps here How to draw houses

More drawing tutorials :
How to draw a tree
How to draw a pine tree
How to draw deciduous trees (mostly apple trees:).)
Landscape drawing - Improve your skills efficiently and fast
How to draw with a pen
How to draw a straight line

A lens about sketchbooks,their use and charm:
Artists sketchbooks - little nothings turn into big somethings

Image credits: All images on this webpage ,if not otherwise stated, are creations by the author.
Images and illustrations of products (in affiliate links) are used according to Squidoo TOS.

Each monotype print in contrary developed a separate life as independent staging of the urban landscape. This difference between sketches and prints was emphasized by the fact that the prints finally went for sale, whereas the sketchbook would stay with the artist as personal belonging. In summary the sketchbook became the persistent document of the project and a permanent creative reservoir.
Among all other sketchbooks this one is special as it is solely dedicated to one topic.

The idea to sketch the urban landscape emerged from the desire to leave the rural landscape I was used to and to question the subject of landscape depiction from a new point of view. Over decades the depiction of landscape had been discredited as popular commonplace and at best an activity for the amateur artist.

Distance or encounter

This has changed meantime as the painting boom in Germany shows. Landscape is obviously becoming a trend in European art again. However landscape often is presented alienated or with "ironic distance", which might reflect still prevailing discomfort with the subject.

Of course there is no way back to the times when artists could celebrate their merge with nature in order to create a "parallel world" as Cezanne proclaimed.

On the other hand the vast majority of the public still adheres to the landscape ideals of the 18th and 19th century. The perception of landscape lags behind the rapid change of reality. Advertising photography has contributed a lot to the persistence of obsolete landscape ideals and is still using and thus perpetuating them. The everlasting desire to find the lost harmony with nature serves marketing strategies as useful illusion.

Curiosity

Global urbanization and urban sprawl are only two main points in the current debate on the future of our landscape.

Also there is massive pressure by tourist, leisure and sports industry on unbuilt open space, that becomes less and less available for the individual in Europe. Cities expand into the reminders of agricultural landscape with unbroken speed, individual traffic increases more and more.
This sketchbook is the result of curiosity and interest in a subject that is to be considered a "main topic" outside the art world. The encounter with landscape is a holistic experience, deeply influenced by individual character and constitution as landscape is a construction in the viewers mind.
The sensations of climate, season and place is an essential source for inspiration and emotional balance not only for artists.

Time and attention

Drawing on site is a possibility to develop a more intense perception of ones surroundings by trying to write down what is seen.
Drawing needs more time and attention than usually spend on observation of landscape. I was curious to see how my perception, my ideas about landscape and finally my image production would be changed and affected by studying the urban landscape.
Furthermore I was interested to learn whether the urban landscape (Stadtlandschaft) would offer the same or similar emotional qualities that I loved in my vernacular rural surrounding.

The first experience was the necessity to adapt to a new level of complexity. With the first drawing it became clear that my usual way and speed of drawing could not be applied to the city.

Adaption to a new level

As a result my hand writing gained speed and changed as well as my capability to simplify and select subjects and details for representation. In total the co-ordination of hand and brain was forced to a new level in order to process the higher amount and different quality of perceived data. A quite similar experience is made by drivers who come to the city the first time and have to adjust to the aggressive traffic in cities which requires a higher level of attention than driving through farmland.

Instead of selecting architectonic highlights or tourist views I wanted to drift like a stranger not in search of subjects, but always ready to react on everyday scenery. Thus I hoped a true image of the city would evolve after time in a series of drawings. Preferably bridges or other viewpoints where chosen as starting points for the excursions.

Learned habits of perception

These starting points were placed more or less systematically with the help of a map to get an even distribution. From the starting points I walked around to explore the surrounding quarters.
The attempt to find subjects purely accidentally however was influenced by habits of orientation learned in a small town environment and the inner images of landscape that had been acquired there over many years.

As a result often I would chose unconsciously scenery with a church tower as landmark. Also trees where a subject of attraction. These preferences were met by the situation in Stuttgart which has developed from a number of small towns. All of them still have their old centers which are overgrown now and connected without free space in between. Thus it was possible to find some kind of familiar village views in the urban context.

A new perspective by looking

Integration of new vision

The theory of the image and image making comes as an after-thought. These explanations however do have influence on further actions of where to look at and on the reflections in the moment of looking.
In consequence the adoption on more complex visual stimulation made me seek for higher complexity in the previously less complex perceived rural landscape. The ability to enjoy the vernacular landscape has developed. Aspects with urban character in rural settings have gained more value, whereas they were considered disturbing before.

The image of cities has become subject of economic and political interest and influence as competition between regions and cities has developed on a global scale. More than often artificial images are developed to attract capital and knowledge.

The kaleidoscope of reality

Nowadays a "spectacle culture" is developed which uses urban landscape merely as background or stage for commercial events. The image of the city is drifting to virtuality and is narrowed down to a set of few landmarks.
The real urban landscape is not spectacular, but a fascinating kaleidoscope that is visible to the curious.
Due to the hilly topography the city of Stuttgart has a tendency to be unclear.
Reminders of old agriculture like fruit tree meadows or even vineyards border directly to residential, office or even industrial areas and their main roads. Despite of all diversity there are repeating patterns. Boring ugliness and sameness has to be stated along main traffic lines and in areas of rapid growth. The development towards more and more uniform appearance of offices, shopping centers and residential areas becomes evident there.

Limits of expression

Apart from that Stuttgart is a surprising "green" city with extended parks directly adjacent to the center and with patches of vineyards and woodlands scattered over hilly landscape in between build-up areas.

There are limits of representation in drawing. For example I found it almost impossible to depict the aggressiveness of the traffic and its deforming power in some areas. Also black and white quite naturally dissolves harsh or dissonant contrasts in colors or materials and integrates at least the form in an acceptable way.

During this project I have learned to be more aware and conscious about the often changing sensations and emotions the landscape in and out of city can evoke while moving around on foot or by car.

Registering emotions

Feelings of comfort and joy or uneasiness and danger as well as the nagging feeling of emptiness and boredom in "anaesthetic" non-places like sterile shopping malls and their parking lots are registered more conscious. This has changed my "ways" in the city not as artist, but as citizen. Choices and judgments are made on another basis. The question about good or bad architecture can be answered by attentive observation.
I have not mentioned the social encounters on the street yet. The capabilities of perception and understanding are highly dependent on education which finally means social status. There have been impressive examples which underlined this fact and made me very directly aware of the growing social discrepancies and tensions in our cities.

Learning by drawing

Exploring the city with pen and sketchbook is a very rewarding experience with surprising insights, full of inspiration and moments of joy and deep reflection. Adapting to another level of visual complexity and describing the unfamiliar urban landscape in drawings has trained my skills. Durable integration of unfamiliar landscape images into the acquired set of landscape imaginations takes more time and is a complex process.
Drawing on site seems to be a successful method to achieve this where the typical tourist attitude to see as much as possible in short time and the attempt of quick photographic conservation fails.
Urban landscape can offer sensations and evoke emotions which cannot be found in rural landscape and vice versa. Both seem to complement one other and enrich the experiences in made the respective other landscape type.

In search of beauty

At last the most important lesson of this project was a very simple one: Taking a close look can make you understand better.

I opened this essay with a Goethe quote and want to close with a surprising Kafka quote I found on an advertising pillar in town: "Those who preserve their ability to perceive beauty will never get old"

I hope that some of the beauty found in the urban landscape becomes visible through these drawings and will inspire and encourage readers to own explorations.

Martin Stankewitz
March 2007

Purchase the sketchbook re-print

Click on the image to start the preview on Blurb.com

Drawing the urban landscape

Thanks for your visit and time...

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Lynn Apr 14, 2012 @ 9:18 pm | delete

Thanks for the essay and your eloquent work. I learned a lot from what you wrote and what you made. So many insights. I was especially struck with your remark regarding difficulty in depicting the agressive nature of the traffic.

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smsr0100451 Apr 14, 2012 @ 2:01 am | delete

Nice work.

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infiniti99 Mar 20, 2012 @ 7:37 am | delete

Awesome lens you have the touch no question thank you for sharing.

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JakeDesign Mar 17, 2012 @ 7:03 pm | delete

Beautiful sketches. I don't draw Plein Aire, nearly as much as i like. I have always found it to be very relaxing and rewarding. You've presented a lot of good material for many levels of artist. Thanks.