Bullack, Cairo. 1846 - 1849

Here, we see David Roberts' watercolour, "Bullack, Cairo," a scene dominated by the minaret's verticality. The architectural structure soars, drawing your eye upwards through its ornate layers. Roberts frames the minaret with the linear geometry of surrounding buildings, setting up a rhythmic interplay of light and shadow. The pale hues, punctuated by the red striped brickwork, evoke a sense of the place, but the focus remains on the structural elements. Note how Roberts uses perspective to create depth, with figures at the base lending scale to the architecture. This depiction destabilizes traditional orientalist tropes, focusing instead on form and spatial relations. The minaret becomes a sign – not just of religious architecture, but of the artist's own formal concerns. It's a complex arrangement that leaves you to contemplate how architectural forms shape our experience and understanding.