Art from Asia. In the western world especially art works from China, Japan, and India are well known and have influenced a lot of european artists as Vincent van Gogh. In particular Buddhist and Hindu motifs have always fascinated the western public. Japanese woodcuts for instance have become very popular and inspiring in Europe.
This implies the representation of constructional objects (houses, squares, bridges etc.) for their own sake, thus serving not only as staffage, background, or as attribute. There were architecture pictures already in ancient Pompeji. In Middle Ages depicted constructions just indicate a certain scene. The actual architecture picture arises in the 16th century in Netherlands(f. e. “Brueghel's Tower of Babel”). Dutch artists prevailed here up until the 17th century, and were followed by Italian artists in the 18th century. In modern times the representation of architecture has become a domain of photographers.