R. DeCramer’s Visit Ghent and the towns of Art of East-Flanders presents the Belgian city through a richly coloured architectural fantasy of towers, water and foliage. A formidable medieval castle rises across the upper half of the poster, its angular walls and turrets warmed by orange and amber light. Below, reflections loosen those solid forms into rippling bands of blue, gold and rust, while dense vegetation in deep green and red creates a vivid foreground frame.

The poster promotes more than a single landmark. Its wording casts Ghent and the surrounding towns of East Flanders as a connected cultural destination: a region to be explored through architecture, history and art. Ghent was particularly suited to such an appeal, with its waterways, imposing medieval buildings and long-standing role as one of the great urban centres of Flanders. The prominent words “BELGIAN STATE RAILWAYS” at the top place the design firmly within the visual culture of organised tourism, when the railway network offered both the means of travel and a persuasive image of what awaited at the journey’s end.

A closer look

DeCramer constructs the view in emphatic layers. The castle occupies the central skyline, its vertical towers stepping upwards against a glowing, softly graded sky. Strong outlines and simplified planes give the architecture immediate legibility, yet smaller marks suggesting masonry, windows and shadow prevent it from becoming merely schematic. To the left, distant buildings extend the setting beyond the principal monument, hinting at the wider town promised in the poster’s title.

The water provides the composition with its most fluid passage. Cool blue areas are crossed by orange and yellow reflections from the illuminated architecture, their softened, wave-like edges countering the castle’s weight and geometry. In the lower foreground, the palette becomes denser and more decorative: dark leaves, reddish plants and small warm-toned flowers overlap in a near-tapestry of colour. A tall, sparsely leaved tree at the right adds another upright accent, echoing the towers while also enclosing the view.

Typography forms part of the poster’s carefully ordered hierarchy. The railway name sits at the top as a direct statement of travel, while the principal invitation appears below the scene: “Visit GHENT and the Towns of Art of East-Flanders.” The enlarged place name gives Ghent immediate prominence, but the surrounding text broadens the promise to encompass the province. Framed by strong borders, the entire design reads as a self-contained window onto the destination, balancing practical information with an atmospheric vision of arrival.

Context and significance

Tourism posters depended upon compression. A city’s identity had to be condensed into a few memorable forms, readable at a glance in a station or booking office. DeCramer answers that requirement by allowing monumental architecture to stand for Ghent’s historical depth, while water, sunset colour and abundant vegetation soften the scene into an inviting prospect. The result is neither a documentary townscape nor a purely abstract graphic: it combines recognisable qualities of place with the heightened colour and selective detail of promotional illustration.

The phrase “Towns of Art” is especially revealing. Rather than presenting East Flanders simply as picturesque countryside, it proposes a journey shaped by cultural discovery, with Ghent as its commanding focal point. The poster remains compelling because of this union of regional identity and graphic economy: massive stone forms, shimmering water and carefully ranked lettering work together to turn the historic city into a persuasive emblem of travel.

Choosing the right size and finish

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The model in the listing images is holding the 36x24in (90x60cm) version of this art print.

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This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.