Plattegrond van Arras 1581

This is an uncredited print titled ‘Plattegrond van Arras.’ It presents a detailed, bird’s-eye view of the city using line work that is at once precise and expressive. The stark contrast between the ink and paper creates a compelling visual tension. The composition divides the city into structured sections, each delineated by fortified walls. This geometric layout, while functional, also suggests a visual encoding of power and control. The arrangement of buildings and streets into a grid destabilizes established meanings of urban space. Rather than chaos, we see a system—a visual syntax. The detailed rendering of each structure, combined with the map’s overall organization, invites us to read Arras not just as a location, but as a text. Consider the function of such a map. It is a symbolic representation that challenges the fixed idea of geographic space as something neutral, instead revealing it as an arena of coded, cultural and political meanings.