Atmospheric Perspective Linear Perspective Unit V: Space and Form Atmospheric Perspective Linear Perspective

History of Perspective: Before perspective, paintings and drawings typically sized objects and characters according to their spiritual or thematic importance, not with distance. The only method to show distance was by overlapping.

Definition of Perspective an approximate representation on a flat surface (such as paper) of an image as it is perceived by the eye.

“Thus if one is to be five times as distant, paint it five times more blue” Leonardo da Vinci observed that distant objects such as mountains look bluer and less distinct than nearby mountains. He also noted that the more distant the mountain, the more its color approached that of the surrounding. Leonardo was intrigued by the atmosphere and by its effects on the colors and distinctness of distant objects. Though other artists had already begun to mimic the influences of the atmosphere, he was the first to make careful measurements and suggest rules for applying them realistically. He called this subject aerial perspective.

Leonardo da Vinci used these observations of atmospheric perspective clearly in these two artworks: The Virgin of the Rocks 1495-1508 La Gioconda (Mona Lisa) 1506

Atmospheric Perspective Creating a sense of depth in painting by imitating the way the atmosphere makes distant objects appear less distinct and more bluish than they would be if nearby.

STOP-C Method Use the following tips to make your drawings show atmospheric perspective. Size As objects go back in space, they should be drawn smaller. Texture As objects go back in space, textures and details should disappear. Overlap Place objects in front of one another to create a sense of depth.

STOP-C Method Use the following tips to make your drawings show atmospheric perspective. Placement As objects go back in space, they should be drawn higher on the page. Color/Value As objects go back in space, they should get duller. Inside: Darker Outside = Lighter

Discuss the methods of STOP-C seen in the photographic image.

In the Renaissance… They began to devise Linear Perspective: Artists searched for ways to make two-dimensional paintings accurately represent the three-dimensional world they saw around them. They began to devise Linear Perspective: The idea that converging lines meet at a single vanishing point and all shapes get smaller in all directions with increasing distance from the eye.

Filippo Brunelleschi’s Perspective Experiment

Linear Perspective In 1420, Filippo Brunelleschi (re)discovered the concepts of perspective, prompting Florentine painters and sculptors to become obsessed with it. In 1435, Leon Battista Alberti wrote a manual with detailed instructions on how to use linear perspective.

Orthogonal or Receding Line (Horizontal and Vertical Lines) The BASICS Vanishing Point Horizon Line Orthogonal or Receding Line Face of the Object (Horizontal and Vertical Lines)

Click here to view a demo on changing eye levels. The BASICS Click here to view a demo on changing eye levels. The horizon line represents the artist’s eye level. The vanishing point represents the artist’s station point.

What does the vanishing point tell us about were the artist is in these images?

the FACE of the object is closest to you. In One-Point Perspective… ALL horizontal lines remain HORIZONTAL. ALL vertical lines remain VERTICAL. ALL other lines are ORTHAGONALS (recede back to the vanishing point)

To Draw an Object in One-Perspective Create your horizon line and place the vanishing point on it. Draw the face of the object you want to draw. Draw a line from each corner to the vanishing point. End the object by drawing the back end exactly like the front end.

One-Point, Two Point, and Three Point Perspective