"Dutch society in the seventeenth century was predominantly urban. The political, economic, and military power of the cities exerted a strong influence on national government. The pride people took in the beauty and prosperity of their cities, with architecture both old and new, is reflected in the popularity of the cityscape." "Artists depicted cities in many ways, beginning with the early city profile: a view from some distance of an entire city in silhouette. Such profile views sometimes served as the backdrop to a historical event depicted in the foreground. In the course of the seventeenth century, landscape painters increasingly included distant views of cities in their panoramas, in which the city's picturesque location - often on the banks or a river - played an important role. After 1650 many more artists devoted themselves to the cityscape, exploring the urban space within the town walls in order to pain views of canals, squares, and important buildings."--Jacket.