ABSTRACT
1We look at the city from a distance. 1 We look at it from a low viewpoint, which results in a high horizon. The River Thames is in the foreground. We can recognise the partial contour of a boat with a mast and the outlines of lampposts along the embankment. The river appears to be almost empty. Letters – the title of the book and the name of the author – are among the few elements that animate it. No people and no activities can be directly seen. This is a ghostly city and our attention is drawn to the distance. The middle ground merges with the background into one large formation. This formation appears to be absurdly two-dimensional. This city has no depth. It is flattened between an abstracted river and a partly clouded sky.
