Although this exercise was to research the basics of linear perspective, it is worth highlighting the difference between linear and aerial perspective.
Aerial perspective, also referred to as atmospheric perspective is a technique to create the impression of atmosphere between the viewer and the subject, thus implying distance. The principle is that as objects recede the particles in the atmosphere cause their colour saturation to be reduced and their colour appears lighter, representing them in increasingly monotone shades of blue. By reducing the clarity of objects they are interpreted as being further away, and therefore create a sense of depth. Unlike other forms of perspective that are focused on the reduction of size over distance, aerial perspective is all about the changing appearance of objects across space.
Linear perspective is a system of creating an illusion of depth on a flat surface. Whilst the principles of linear-perspective were well-known in Greek and Roman construction they had been long-lost with many other aspects of ancient civilisation during the European Middle Ages. The were rediscovered by Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), a fifteenth-century Italian architect and engineer. Brunelleschi had understood the concept of the basic components essential to the linear perspective; orthogonal lines (parallel lines), the horizon line and a vanishing point. Although the laws governing perspective construction were brought to light by Brunelleschi, they were codified for the first time by the humanist architect Leon Battista Alberti in 1435.
The basic principles of linear perspective are:
Horizon: The horizon is the line where the sky meets the land or water. The height of the horizon influences the placement of the vanishing points and the elevation of the scene.
Vanishing point: A vanishing point is the place where parallel lines appear to converge in the distance. There is no limit to the number of vanishing points in a scene. However, the most common are one-point, two-point and three-point perspective, which are classified according to the number of vanishing points in the drawing.
Ground plane: The ground plane is the theoretical horizontal plane receding from the picture plane to the horizon, beginning at the level of the base line. If the ground plane were sloped or hilly, the vanishing point–created by the path’s parallel lines–would not rest on the horizon and it might appear as if it were on an inclined plane.
Orthogonal lines: Orthogonal means right angle. It refers to right angles that are formed by lines such as the corner of a cube shown in perspective.
Vantage Point: Not to be confused with vanishing point, the vantage point is the place from which a scene is viewed. The placement of the horizon and the vanishing points affects the vantage point.
As the limitations of linear perspective became apparent, artists invented additional techniques to achieve the most-convincing illusion of space and distance. Leonardo da Vinci, and German artist Albrecht Dürer are considered some of the early masters of linear perspective and devised the technique of foreshortening.
Foreshortening is the visual effect or optical illusion that causes an object or distance to appear shorter than it actually is because it is angled toward the viewer. Objects appear compressed or distorted depending the viewpoint.
Biography:
D’Amelio, J. and Hohauser, S. (2004). Perspective drawing handbook. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications.
Encyclopedia.com. (2004). Filippo Brunelleschi | Encyclopedia.com. [online] Available at: https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/architecture-biographies/filippo-brunelleschi [Accessed 26 Feb. 2019].
Hyman, I. (2019). Filippo Brunelleschi | Biography, Artwork, Accomplishments, & Facts. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Filippo-Brunelleschi [Accessed 26 Feb. 2019].
Image:
Figure 1: Staff, A. (n.d.). The Beginning Artist’s Guide to Perspective Drawing. [online] Artists Network. Available at: https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/drawing/learn-to-draw-perspective/ [Accessed 26 Feb. 2019].
OCA BA(Hons) Painting Degree - Level 1 