Linear perspective

Linear perspective is the art of representing three-dimensional constructions on a two-dimensional surface. It presupposes a fixed viewpoint and a desire to create an "objective" recording of one's visual experience - two conditions which have been the most dominant in the Western art of the past half-millennium.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Once the observer assumes a single point of view, several conclusions follow logically. The first and most important is this: objects appear to get smaller as their distance from the observer increases. That this is not self-evident in art is apparent from even a casual perusal of the art of other cultures and eras - most frequently objects are drawn or painted a certain size for reasons that have nothing to do with their position in space. In medieval Last Judgement paintings, for example, the relative scale of the various figures is determined only by their sacred significance; the most important are the largest.

Related Topics:
Culture - Drawn - Painted - Medieval

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Once the diminishment of scale with distance is noted, it is an easy step to understanding why the space between parallel lines must also appear to diminish. A wall retreating from the observer will appear to get progressively shorter, and the top and bottom edges of the wall will thus appear to move closer together.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was an enormous conceptual leap when artists concluded that these lines, if extended indefinitely, would appear to meet at a single point on the horizon. This idea, long since verified, was likely made from a theoretical analysis of the process of seeing rather than direct observation. Van Eyck, for example, was unable to create a consistent structure for the converging lines in paintings like London's The Arnolfini Portrait because he was not aware of the theoretical breakthrough just then occurring in Italy.

Related Topics:
Horizon - Van Eyck - The Arnolfini Portrait - Italy

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Below are descriptions of the three main varieties of perspective technique. The only difference among these three varieties is the orientation of linear objects being viewed relative to the viewer.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~