Title: Perspective
1Perspective
2Piero della Francesca. Ideal City (1475). Oil
on canvas.
3What is Linear Perspective?
- a system for representing three-dimensional space
on a two-dimensional flat surface - developed in Florence in the early 15th century
by Filippo Brunelleschi and Leon Batista Alberti
4The Invention of Linear Perspective
5Development of Linear Perspective
- Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) was the sculptor
and architect who demonstrated the principles of
perspective through mathematics - In 1415, Brunelleschi painted his picture of the
Baptistery on the surface of a small mirror,
right on top of its own reflection.
The Baptistery in Florence
6Brunelleschis Peep Show
- To demonstrate the fact that his painting was
indeed an exact replica that could fool the eye,
Brunelleschi drilled a small hole in the mirror
and then stood directly in front of the
Baptistery, looking through the peephole to see
the real building. - He then held up a second, clean mirror in front
of his painted panel. The second mirror blocked
the view of the real building, but now reflected
his painted version on the original mirror.
7Brunelleschis Peep Show
- By holding up the panel and pressing the hole to
one eye while holding a mirror with the other
hand, the viewer could see the paintings
reflection. - A viewer standing in the cathedral doorway could
check the painted illusion against the real view.
8Leon Battista Alberti (1404-72)
- architect and writer who was the first to
formulate rules that artists could follow - imagined the picture surface as an open window
through which a painted world is seen - showed how a perspective checkerboard pavement
is created within the picture spacein which the
receding parallel lines represent the visual rays
connecting the spectators eye to a spot in the
distance
9 Leon Batista Alberti
- based his system on the height of the human
figure, being 3 braccia tall - drew a rectangular picture area, imagined as an
open window - divided the ground line into scaled braccia
- fixed the central vanishing point by drawing a
vertical line three braccia high - from the center of the ground line
- drew diagonalsorthogonalsjoining the ground
line to the vanishing point
10Application of Linear Perspective
- Brunelleschi devised the method of perspective
for architectural purposes. - He is said by Manetti to have made a ground plan
for the Church of Santo Spirito on the basis of
which he produced a perspective drawing to show
his clients how it would look after it was built. - We can compare this drawing with a modern photo
of the actual church.
11Application of Linear Perspective
Brunelleschi's proposal drawing of the interior
of Santo Spirito (1543)
Interior of Brunelleschi's Santo Spirito
12Early Approaches
- Prior to the Renaissance, artists were less
concerned with the illusion of reality and more
concerned with the content and symbolism of their
work.
13Ancient Egyptian
- only the front planes of objects are shown
- figures assembled from separate views
- depth suggested by overlapping forms
14Byzantine/Medieval
Duccio di Buoninsegna. The Virgin and Child with
Saints (c.1315). Egg tempera on poplar.
- the gold backgrounds suggest majesty and
internal light - denies any sense of depth, allowing figures to
inhabit a spiritual space - figures, however, modeled in light and shade
15Defining Space Before the Renaissance
- The size of each element in the image related
much more to its importance, rather than it's
placement in a space.
16Judging by the Eye
- Giotto introduced a new kind of realism by
creating convincing spatial arrangements. - He angles the building, removing side walls to
reveal the cubic interior.
Giotto. Birth of the Virgin Mary (1320s). Fresco.
17Judging by the Eye
- The sense of depth is partly achieved in this
painting by the diminishing size of the floor
tiles. - The receding lines of the floor converge toward a
single focus (vanishing point), although the
other receding diagonals converge toward points
higher up in the picture.
Ambrogio Lorenzetti. The Presentation in the
Temple (1342). Tempera on wood.
18Judging by the Eye
- Dutch master van Eyck created highly convincing
interiors and landscapes by relying on his own
observations rather than theoretical rules. - In this painting, an intimate interior is created
by the sloping lines of the boarded floor and
beamed ceiling, the relative size of objects, and
the use of light.
Jan van Eyck. The Arnolfini Marriage (1434). Oil
on oak.
19A convex mirror, like the one in the painting,
may have been used by van Eyck as a
compositional aid.
20The Renaissance
21Masaccio a hole in the wall
- Ten years after the invention of linear
perspective, Masaccio applied the new method of
mathematical perspective even more spectacularly.
- This frescos painted architectural framework is
so carefully constructed that it could almost
have been translated from an architectural plan.
Masaccio. The Trinity (1427). Fresco.
22A hole in the wall
The barrel vaulted ceiling is incredible in its
complex, mathematical use of perspective.
These lines eventually meet at a distance point
on the horizon line.
23Paolo Uccello Playful Measurement
- explored the geometry of nature and objects
- studied how to solve perspective problems
- combined scientific probing with the love of
pattern and splendor
Chalice
24Perspective in Wood
- trompe loeil wood inlay panels
- The private study of Federico da Montefeltro, the
Duke of Urbino
25Perspective in Wood
26Perspective Eye Levels
27Normal Viewpoint
28Paolo Uccello. The Hunt in the Forest (1460s).
Oil on canvas.
29High Viewpoint
30Low Viewpoint
31Bramantino. Adoration of the Kings (1498). Oil
on panel.
32(No Transcript)
33Piero della Francesca Divine Measurement
Piero dell Francesca. The Flagellation (1460).
Tempera on wood.
34Piero della Francesca Divine Measurement
- perspective so logical and precise that scholars
have been able to reconstruct the room as if it
were real architecture - architectural proportions and dimensions reflect
the divine order of things
35Andrea Mantegna Eyewitness Art
- perspective of the oculus constructed according
to the upward gaze of an observer standing
directly below
Andrea Mantegna. From The Painted Room
(1465-74). Fresco.
36Andrea Mantegna Eyewitness Art
- Christ shown in a dramatically foreshortened pose
- heavy head propped on a pillow so that his
features can be seen - feet projected out of the picture so viewer can
focus on gaping wounds
Andrea Mantegna. Lamentation Over the Dead
Christ (1480). Distemper on canvas.
37Perspective Foreshortening
- Foreshortening is based on studies from life as
well as perspective principles. - Figure is encased in a gridlike box divided
into equal units. - When box is laid on the ground, the units
diminish as they recede.
38Leonardo da Vincis Explorations
The Last Supper (1497). Fresco.
39Leonardo da Vincis Explorations
The Last Supper (1497). Fresco.
40Leonardo da Vincis Explorations
The Last Supper (1497). Fresco.
41Leonardo da Vincis Explorations
- To seem like an extension of the refectory,
- the vanishing pointwhich is on Christs
right - eyeshould be lower, at the spectators
level. - Instead, it is about 15 feet above the floor
- level.
- The strong pull of the perspective, however,
- lifts the viewer from the floor to the
correct - viewpointa strangely spiritual phenomenon.
Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
42Aerial Perspective
43Aerial Perspective
Leonardo da Vinci. The Virgin of the Rocks
(1508). Oil on wood.
44Atmospheric Perspective
- a coloristic device used to accentuate the
perception of distance - based on the optical effect caused by light being
absorbed and reflected by the atmosphere a
mist of dust and moisture - first used by Leonardo da Vinci
45Albrecht Dürer
- Perspective, Human Anatomy, and Proportions
46Albrecht Dürer
- He traveled to Italy to learn about perspective.
- Besides his great studies of perspective, he was
also interested in human anatomy and proportion.
Melancholia (1514). Copper engraving.
47Dürers Perspective Aid
- frame consisted of wooden
- stand
- grid threads probably made of
- silk
The Draftsmans Net
48Dürers Perspective Aid
- The grid is used by the artist to copy the
outline of the models form onto a squared
drawing surface - An eyepiece, fixing the artists viewpoint, is
positioned at a specific distancetwice the
frames heightfrom the device. - The closer the net is placed to the object, the
more foreshortened the perspective.
49Anamorphic Art
50Anamorphosis
- refers to a deliberately distorted image, which,
when viewed head on, is almost unrecognizable - only when the image is viewed from a certain
angle does it appear
51First Anamorph
Erhard Schon. Vexierbild or Puzzle Picture (1535)
When this fantastic landscape (on the left) is
viewed at a low angle from the left four
portraits emerge of Charles V, Ferdinand I Pope
Paul III and Francis I (shown at the right).
52Anamorphic Art
Hans Hoblein, the Younger. The
Ambassadors (1533). Oil on wood.
53Anamorphic Art
- An anamorphic image is an extreme case of
perspective, where the viewpoint is at the side,
and near the plane, of the picture itself.
54Drawing the Distorted Grid
- A square grid is placed over a
- scale drawing.
- The artist then draws a distorted
- grid onto which the design is
- transferreda side view in which
- the proportions are drastically
- altered but the points of the grid
- fall on the same place of the
- design.
55Anamorphic Art
- This portrait superimposes the long-nosed,
compressed head of a young boy on a panoramic
landscape. - When the picture is viewed from the right-hand
edge, the portrait is transformed into a living
likeness of Edward VI.
William Scrots. Portrait of Edward VI (1546).
Oil on wood.