Perspective

Home > Visual Arts > Painting > Perspective

The technique of creating an illusion of depth and space in a painting, using vanishing points and lines.

Horizon line: The level line where the sky meets the ground.
Vanishing point: A point on the horizon line where all parallel lines appear to converge.
One-point perspective: A technique for drawing objects in which all parallel lines converge at a single vanishing point on the horizon line.
Two-point perspective: A technique for drawing objects in which all parallel lines converge at one of two vanishing points on the horizon line.
Three-point perspective: A technique for drawing objects in which all parallel lines converge at one of three vanishing points, including one that is above or below the horizon line.
Foreshortening: The visual effect of an object appearing shorter than it actually is, due to its position and angle with respect to the viewer.
Atmospheric perspective: The technique of creating depth in a painting by making distant objects appear less sharply defined and more hazy or blue.
Overlapping: The technique of making one object appear to be in front of another by having it overlap or partially cover the other object.
Size and scale: The principle of making objects appear larger or smaller in the painting to create a sense of depth or perspective.
Eye level: The height from which the viewer sees the painting, which affects the way objects appear in the painting.
Linear perspective: A mathematical method for creating the illusion of depth and distance in a painting, using lines and vanishing points.
One-point linear perspective: The technique of creating depth and distance by drawing all parallel lines to a single vanishing point on the horizon line.
Two-point linear perspective: The technique of creating depth and distance by drawing all parallel lines to one of two vanishing points on the horizon line.
Three-point linear perspective: The technique of creating depth and distance by drawing all parallel lines to one of three vanishing points, including one above or below the horizon line.
Orthogonal lines: Lines that converge on a vanishing point in linear perspective, used to create the illusion of depth and distance in a painting.
Linear perspective: A type of perspective that gives the illusion of depth and space using converging lines and vanishing points.
Atmospheric perspective: A type of perspective that creates the impression of distance and depth by making distant objects appear more muted or blurry.
Aerial perspective: A type of perspective that uses color to create the illusion of depth by making objects appear bluer and lighter in the background.
Multi-point perspective: A type of perspective that uses more than one vanishing point to create complex three-dimensional images.
Curvilinear perspective: A type of perspective that is used to create the illusion of depth and space in curved objects and surfaces.
Reverse perspective: A type of perspective that reverses the traditional use of vanishing points to create unique and unconventional images.
Fish-eye perspective: A type of perspective that uses distortion to create a spherical or panoramic image.
Isometric perspective: A type of perspective that creates the illusion of three-dimensional objects in a static, flat space, using parallel lines to indicate depth and distance.
Oblique perspective: A type of perspective that creates a sense of depth and volume by tilting the plane of the image, adding diagonal lines, and creating foreshortening.
Forced perspective: A type of perspective that tricks the eye by making objects appear larger or smaller than they actually are, usually by manipulating the viewer's position or angle of view.
"Linear or point-projection perspective is one of two types of graphical projection perspective in the graphic arts..."
"Perspective drawing is useful for representing a three-dimensional scene in a two-dimensional medium, like paper."
"Objects appear smaller as their distance from the observer increases..."
"They are subject to foreshortening, meaning that an object's dimensions along the line of sight appear shorter than its dimensions across the line of sight."
"All objects will recede to points in the distance, usually along the horizon line..."
"Italian Renaissance painters and architects including Filippo Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, Masaccio, Paolo Uccello, Piero della Francesca and Luca Pacioli studied linear perspective..."
"Perspicere" translates to "to see through" in Latin.
"Linear or point-projection perspective is one of two types of graphical projection perspective in the graphic arts..."
"Linear perspective is an approximate representation, generally on a flat surface, of an image as it is seen by the eye."
"The other type is parallel projection."
"The most characteristic features of linear perspective are that objects appear smaller as their distance from the observer increases, and that they are subject to foreshortening..."
"All objects will recede to points in the distance, usually along the horizon line..."
"...incorporated it into their artworks."
"Italian Renaissance painters and architects including ... wrote treatises on it..."
"Linear or point-projection perspective (from Latin perspicere 'to see through')..."
"Perspective drawing is useful for representing a three-dimensional scene in a two-dimensional medium, like paper."
"...an object's dimensions along the line of sight appear shorter than its dimensions across the line of sight."
"...but also above and below the horizon line depending on the view used."
"...studied linear perspective, wrote treatises on it, and incorporated it into their artworks."
"...one of two types of graphical projection perspective in the graphic arts."