View of Cairo 

Here we have a painting by Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, titled "View of Cairo." The painting arranges the city of Cairo into distinct horizontal bands. First, dense green foliage in the foreground; next, the pale buildings of the city, punctuated by a mosque; then a band of water; and finally, in the background, the pyramids against a warm sky. Aizvazovsky repeats triangular forms throughout the composition: the palm fronds, the pyramids, and even the smaller sails of boats on the water. The artist’s structural repetition of forms and use of aerial perspective to separate the scene into layers, creates an image that conveys the exotic location, but also a strong sense of order and control. The pyramids, so emblematic of Egyptian history and culture, are distanced and absorbed into a harmonious whole. Thus, the painting presents not so much a faithful representation of Cairo but rather a constructed vision of it.