What is Perspective in Art ?

 

WHAT IS PERSPECTIVE IN ART

 Technical Definition

"Perspective" or "decay" is the scientific principle by which a figure on a two-dimensional picture-ground is made solid and evident by showing a three-dimensional effect. In this method, some part of the figure becomes invisible and some part decays.

Generally, our vision perceives every object in the interval in the three dimensions of length, breadth and height or depth of that object, but the picture-ground has only two dimensions - length and breadth. Only two dimensions of any object can be presented on this picture-ground. Therefore, the specific method used to create the illusion of the third dimension is called the "Perspective System". This perspective-system is used in the form of decay and growth in the size of objects depicted on the picture-ground and the meeting of parallel lines going far away in the environment at a certain point. This is also called 'optical illusion'. For example, the sky seems to meet the earth at a certain distance, the railway track seems to go far away and end further ahead. But the reality is not like this. To show this, the artist makes the distant object small and the nearby object big, and creates the illusion of reality.

By looking at the history of art, it is known that artists of different times have tried to solve the problem of perspective in different ways.

Although from the aesthetic point of view, only two-dimensional design is considered successful, however, the artist has been trying to show density in the composition since ancient times. Different types of presentation of perspective can be seen in Indian classical art. In the art of ancient Egypt, a completely different system of the accepted scientific form of perspective can be seen. The modern artist also does not want to use perspective in a conventional way in the composition. - On the contrary, in Europe, the 'Renaissance' artists not only used "perspective" in their creations, but the rules of perspective established by them also hold an important place in art creation. These artists made many successful experiments to make a "virtual presentation" of small dimensions on the picture ground.

Around the fifth century BC, Greek and Roman artists were using perspective as a method related to space effects. These artists were also experimenting with 'fore-shortening' and drawing objects from unusual angles. But there was no definite order in the experiments of these artists. It is also said that Greek artists did not know central perspective and drawing from a fixed viewpoint.

This means that the use of "perspective" in art creation is not the same everywhere, nor does the absence of perspective reduce the effect of the picture. In 'infant art' and 'primitive art', where perspective is negligible, it is not inferior to any other art.

Nature and classification of perspective

"Perspective" is a Latin word. Leonardo-de-Vinci has called perspective a successful medium of depicting reality on a two-dimensional plane and a 'window' to see the world. Through this method, the 'closeness', 'distance' and 'density' of the object in different dimensions is understood. Perspective is not only used for painting, but is also used in relief sculpture and stage scene planning.

This method is also related to geometry. Perspective can also be known by the names 'Central Projection', 'Central Perspective', 'Linear or Geometrical Perspective' etc. Under the perspective of the artists of the awakening period of Europe, the flat picture-ground was called 'fore-ground' and we divide it in the form of 'background'.

In fact, our visual appearance is quite different from reality. Therefore, the feeling of difference and distance created by decay is only 'psychological', which has an illusory relation with reality. Some simple rules have been formulated for these principles of perspective or decay through which these principles can be understood.

Taking the use of line and colour as the basis, decay can be divided into the following two categories - linear decay and atmospheric decay.