The Invention of Perspective

by Habina Seo

 

We often take for granted the theory of perspective in images today, however it was not always considered by artists before the 14th century. Art before linear perspective had no attempts to realistically depict the three-dimensional world as we see it today. This may have been due to the focus on mythology, biblical scenes and other imagery which may not have necessarily been a direct depiction of real life. Examples include mosaics, ancient Egyptian paintings and other inscriptions, medieval and gothic art. Although some artists such as Giotto and Duccio made attempts to show depth and volume, it was far from the perspective that was to be theorised and used in the future. As Erwin Panofsky said, perspective allows the subjective to become the objective, by translating the psychophysiological space into a mathematical/technical space. However even the viewpoint of a scene or image may be debatable as still being subjective to the viewer’s choice of view.

Although the very existence of perspective has always existed, Italian architect Fillipo Bruneschelli was the first person to precisely make use of linear perspective to create a technically accurate drawing. He trained initially as a silversmith, so was able to polish a sheet of metal to a reflective finish, and looked into it like a mirror placing it on an easel, so that he could see an image of the scene (the Florence Baptistery) behind him. He etched the corners of baptistery onto the sheet, and this allowed him to draw on the orthogonal lines of the building. He noticed importantly how these lines converged toward a single vanishing point. When he finished the image, and held the image up before the real scene, it would be seen that the resemblance is striking, and is a scientifically constructed linear perspective drawing.

Soon after Brunelleschelli’s work, the concept of vanishing points caught onto other artists and paintings began to demonstrate the level of perspective as we know it to be today. By the end of the 15th century, artists were in total command of perspective and were now able to depict their world in a beautiful and now more realistic way.

An example of perspective being used other than for realism is in distorting and altering perspective. A painting by Hans Holbein called ‘The Ambassadors’ is a realistic double portrait, however it has a distinctively distorted skill in the foreground which is far from what would have been seen in real life, which adds a striking element of symbolism. When this skull is viewed from a sideways-upward angle (due to its placement in its original position) it shows a more tangible image of a human skull. This technique is known as anamorphic drawing/painting- where the tangible image is only visible from specific perspectives or projections such as curved mirrors. Other examples include the ceiling paintings of the 17th century, where architectural elements are combined with illusory painted elements to create a seamless image when viewed from a specific space. This idea of distortion was sometimes used in the 20th century for conceptual and aesthetic effect, and many artists explore the processing of reality through this manipulation of perspective.

With the invention of digital cameras, we have been able to share our own perspective with others, which opens up our own subjectivity and how we see the world around us, which with the invention of perspective showing how endless and infinite the world is, helps us connect ourselves, the viewer and subject, with the world around us as the object. Why then, do some artists still bother to achieve extremely realistic images done by hand? Hyperrealism art aims to create images that challenge our understanding and distinguishing of reality and virtual (by making it seem so close to visual reality), and also have the crucial point of going beyond our human sight, and also to overcome the challenges faced by regular photography. Some artists exploit the nature of infinity and vanishing points, putting in great physical or digital effort to create the illusion of an infinitely continuing horizon (whereas a camera may be limited to its set resolution).

Panoramic photos capture a length often beyond our human sight. However, they are very often seemingly distorted due to the perspectives it encompasses. In technical drawing, vanishing points are where all the orthographical lines seem to converge, and there are several uses for the different number of vanishing points used in a drawing. The most frequently used is 1-3 vanishing points, and is commonly used in architectural or design drawings. When more than three points are used, it creates a wide-angle, fish-eye or spherical stretch, which looks unusual as it is not what the naked human eye sees, but nevertheless is technically accurate.

Sources:

http://www.op-art.co.uk/history/perspective/

‘The Architectural Imagination’, K. Michael Hayes

‘Ways of Seeing’- John Berger

Colourful city in panorama- Nathan Walsh oil painting ‘Catching Fire’
Circular ceiling painting- By Andrea Pozzo, in Sant'Ignazio, Rome
Pencil drawing in panorama style
Medieval painting depicting the last supper
Florence Baptistery that Brunelleschi worked from
Long painting of city - ’The Ideal City of Urbino’, c. 1480-1484