“The Dead City,” created by Victor Hugo in 1850, belongs to the Symbolism art movement and falls within the landscape genre.
The artwork exhibits a dark, haunting vista of a seemingly desolate cityscape. The overall tone is somber and shrouded in a dense atmosphere, with obscure, shadowy structures faintly visible in the background. The sky, which dominates the upper portion of the artwork, is depicted with heavy, dark strokes, suggesting tumult or decay. Towards the foreground, an indistinct array of shapes and forms implies ruins or remnants scattered across the landscape, possibly alluding to abandonment or destruction. The subdued palette of black-and-white adds to the sense of eerie silence and melancholy, underscoring the symbolic exploration of ruin and desolation.
