Stadsgezicht van Groningen 1572

This is Frans Hogenberg's 'Stadsgezicht van Groningen', an engraving made around 1540-1590. The image presents a bird's-eye view of the city, meticulously detailed with buildings, walls, and waterways. The composition is neatly organised into horizontal bands, separating the city from the surrounding landscape, which creates a sense of order. Hogenberg’s use of line is particularly striking. Precise, uniform hatching describes the textures of the buildings, fortifications, and fields. This technique not only provides visual information but also constructs a structured, almost geometric depiction of urban space. The high vantage point flattens the perspective. This reduces depth to emphasise the city’s form and its relationship to the landscape. The print may also be seen as a symbolic representation of the city as a structured, ordered community. Note the cartographic elements and the use of text, which further frame the image as both an artistic rendering and a document of civic pride. Hogenberg's 'Stadsgezicht van Groningen' invites us to consider how art is a system of representation that reflects the complex relationship between space, power and knowledge.