This assignment is combined with the research from my dissertation on whether Stereoscopic
(3d) photography a viable form of image making.
First to understand how artist explored the use of perspectives and how it developed I will explore the history and the Visual methods of depiction.
History of Perspective and Visual Methods of Depiction
The
earliest example of the use of perspective can be seen by looking at
Egyptian art.
Egyptian
art traditionally shows the human form in profile with one eye and
both shoulders shown face on. Also the figures usually have
either two left or right feet with their head turned in the same
direction as their legs and arms. By doing this everything looks out
of proportion and flat. However, in terms of perspective the
Egyptians used what is called a 'Vertical Perspective'.
During
the Amarna period this style of art changed. Figures began to have a
sense of movement and had raised heads. Many overlapped making it
appear crowded and busy. Most important changes around this time were
of the feet and hands. Instead of the figures showing either two left
of right feet they now began to have left and right. However, faces
were still shown in profile.
During
the Renaissance, the period of “scientific and cultural re-birth”,
scientists and scholars began engaging in different kinds of
experiments such as foreshortening and Linear perspectives. This is when the use of foreshortening was developed.
Foreshortening
Foreshortening
refers to how artists create a visual effect to give the impression
of depth. They do this by distorting an object or a place making it
appear shorter than it actually is.
Andrea
Mantegna's Dead Christ is one of several artist who mastered linear perspective
and is a one of the most famous examples of foreshortening.
Linear Perspective
Linear
perspective is a mathematical system that creates the illusion of
space and distance on a flat surface. It was first discovered in the
1400s by the artist and architect Filippo Brunelleschi. He suggested
a system that explained how shrink in size according to their
position and the distance object from the eyes.
Artist began to investigate how to make a 2d image look
3d and started to think of paintings like looking through a window.
They came up with a mathematical solution known as Linear
Perspective. This helped painters achieve their goal in creating
realism.
First they made
a horizontal line that runs across the image at the viewer’s eye
level. This would be placed where the sky appears to meet the ground.
Then the vanishing point would then be placed located near the centre
of the horizon line. The vanishing point is where all parallel lines
that run towards the horizon meet. For example like looking down a
train track and into the distance. It is also known as Orthogonal
lines which are visual rays that help lead the viewer eyes to the
connection points around the edgesof a canvas.
During the renaissance one point perspective was used extensively by
Leonardo Da Vinci. Da Vinci Last Supper is a good example of how he
used one-point perspective effectively. The vanishing point is right
on Christ head. This emphasizes Jesus as the main focal point. He
uses the edges along the walls to lead the viewer all off which point
to Christ’s head.
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