A description first used by curator William Jenkins in 1975 to characterize the photographs he included in the exhibition “New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-altered Landscape“, which focused on artists who depicted the built, or human-made, environment with a sense of detachment.

 a ground-breaking exhibition of contemporary landscape photography held at the George Eastman House’s International Museum of Photography

Urban landscapes

An urban landscape refers to the environment shaped by human habitation and activities within cities, impacting plant species, biodiversity, and ecosystems. “Urban landscapes” and “cityscapes” are often used interchangeably, and both are popular and contemporary art genres. However, there are subtle differences between the two. Urban landscapes typically depict a city’s natural and built environment, including parks, rivers, and buildings.

Stephen Shore, Beverly Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, California, June 21, 1975, chromogenic colour print

In the foreground there is a petrol station and it has bright vibrant colours, in the middle ground there is a lot of promotion going on and information boards. and lastly in the background there is hills where the light goes from being really cold to colder

This photo uses natural lighting. The petrol station has national colours to attract peoples attention. because back in 1975 when this photo was taken it was a time of distress. the background has a sunset

there is many colours in this photo that stand out in this photo are the yellow and orange car, it has no clouds and it has a blue sky that fades into a lighter colour