Plattegrond van Cambrai, 1726 1726

This is an anonymous plan of Cambrai from 1726, rendered in ink on paper, that offers an intriguing view of urban space through a formal lens. The immediate visual experience is dominated by a network of lines, forming geometric shapes that define the city's layout and fortifications. The composition, characterized by a dense arrangement of interconnected structures, uses line and form to create meaning. The stark contrast between the intricate urban plan and the rigid fortifications suggests a city defined by both its internal organization and external defenses. The lines, carefully rendered, delineate buildings, streets, and defensive walls, reflecting a structuralist approach to mapping and understanding urban space. This detailed articulation implies a semiotic system of signs, with each element contributing to a larger narrative about urban planning, power, and representation. Ultimately, the formal qualities of this plan function as part of a broader discourse on how space is conceived, controlled, and communicated. It recognizes the plan not merely as a representation of Cambrai, but as a site of ongoing interpretation.