Perspective

'Perspective' is how we 'view' something - in real life. This is based on mathematical clues for creating illusions of depth in art. The concept and science of perspective allows us to think in three dimension and defines our point of view based on the angle that we view the object or 'the view' at. That is, where are we (what angle) in relation to what we are looking at. The reason that this topic is sometimes confusing to us when learning the differences and the connection to our painting is because we have several unique factors of perspective to consider, all at the same time no less!!! and ALL influence the overall 'perspective' in the painting.

It doesn't matter what we are painting, we are still subconsciously considering them. Perspective affects form, colour, depth, shadows, reflections, scale etc. it is a very large topic with important applications that need to be first learned and understood.

All of the elements of perspective control the viewers response in regards to distance, form, scale and our final perception of 'depth of space'

There is.....

Linear perspective - (objects getting smaller the farther away they are - this is because of the curvature of the earth and the distance we view the object from)

photo #1

Photo #1 above - the corn as seen from straight on, all the rows of kernels seem to be the same size. In photo #2 below , the corn is viewed from an angle with the corn tilted away from the viewer and a little below eye level -

photo #2

Can you see the way the rows appear smaller the further away they are from the viewing point?

Now imagine this same concept when applied to a landscape or to the structure of buildings as shown in the photos below. In the photo below on the left, the ceiling beams converge as they move away from us, the spaces between them appear to be reduced, even though we know that they are actually parallel to each other. Also, take a look at the white siding on the wall to the left, note the way the siding slats appear to be closer together as they recede into the distance as well.

In another photo below right, the doorways seem to be of differing sizes. The doorway closer to the viewer seems larger (taller & wider) even though we know they are of equal size. This is linear perspective at its best. By understanding this concept we can create greater realism and depth in our paintings.

Atmospheric perspective - (colours within a view are affected by the effects of light and the quality of the air (atmosphere) between the viewer and the object, i.e. dust particles in the air refract light and effect or reduce the intensity of the the actual colour. This change in colour intensity helps us create true depth within our paintings for a more realistic painting. See the examples in the three scenes below.

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Spatial perspective - (combination of linear and atmospheric, but further enhanced by scale and overlapping objects e.g. a trees behind a building, or flowers growing one behind the other, a container behind another in a still life, as no two objects can share the same space - hence the illusion of depth)

Each of these unique 'facets' of perspective can definitely be an independent study, but each must be considered together within the painting to create absolute realism.

Not only is the successful end result dependant on the accuracy of the actual line drawing or sketch, but we must also manipulate colour through tone and value to help with the final illusion of depth.