Non-photorealistic rendering
Non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) is the use of artistic techniques to create an image or a movie without the realism component. In other words, the image or movie still represents the structure or the environment, but not in a photorealistic way.
What are some artistic ways to create NPRs? There was life before 3D and proof of this is the fantastic paintings from some famous artists that represent buildings and places. With just a few strokes and much less detail, these artists managed to bring to us beautiful places and times that otherwise would be lost forever.
Note
If you are interested in seeing some examples of paintings of buildings, search for works from the following artists:
Perrot Ferdinand-Victor, Beggrov Karl Petrovich, Paterssen Benjamin, and Grekov Alexei Angiliyevich, to mention a few.
What did the artists use to produce such beautiful pieces of art? We do not have only oil paintings, but also impressionism, cell shading, stippling, cross-hatching...