Vanishing Points: Three Dimensional Perspective in Art and History

by Milton E. Brener

This book traces the history of three dimensional perspective in art from prehistoric and ancient times, during which the portrayal of depth was practically nonexistent, through its early development by the Greeks and Romans; its virtual disappearance in the Middle Ages; and its re-emergence and perfection in the Renaissance. The book also examines the role of the right cerebral hemisphere in appreciation of aesthetics and particularly of three dimensional art. It further points to similar human attributes that have risen and declined in tandem with the use of perspective, and which are also mediated by the right expressiveness of the human face, use of metaphor, love of the grand panoramas of nature, and the sense of self. The book considers not only the role of three-dimensional art in the rise of landscape painting, but also its contribution to the admiration and investigation of nature and the rise of the scientific age.

223 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2004

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This art history book, written by a retired attorney, is an informative, accessible introduction to the history of 3D perspective drawing. Perspective drawing, though common in modern and contemporary arts, is a pretty “recent” invention in Western art history. It consolidated in Florence, Italy, in the 15th century. Populated in the Western art circle before Industrial Revolution, perspective drawing arose in tandem with the rise of individualism (a sense of the individual self that is independent of the exterior world and the groups people belong to), idealization of novelty and newness in arts and literature, and the emergence of exhibited emotions in human portraits. In ancient times like Greek and Roman civilizations, perspective drawing appeared as exceptions, and most drawings are 2D and wouldn’t bother with depth —- drawers “draw what they know, not what they see.” 2D drawings, like the famous The Last Supper, provide viewers access to multiple viewpoints, unlike 3D drawings that privilege one single viewpoint at a time. Landscape painting is a result derived from the invention of perspective drawing, which, as the author argues, is an admiration of nature itself without morals and symbolism. The author argues that landscape painting in Chinese art history, which was invented way before even the invention of perspective drawing in the West, focuses on symbolism, and, there, nature always stands in for something else as a representation. Towards the end of the book, the author refutes what he said earlier about perspective drawing as a method of “drawing what one sees, not one knows.” He argues that perspective drawing is a technical method that forces our naturally wandering eyes to adopt one single viewpoint. If so, is perceptive drawing still a manifestation of visual realism instead of intellectual realism? The author tries to make a proposition that the sudden invention of perspective drawing has a genetic basis, which has something to do with the development of right hemisphere. I would love to read more about that part. Overall, this book is a very interesting account of Western perceptive drawing. Although the book is not the most rigorous in terms of argument development and literature citation, it gives us an approachable sketch of the development of perspective drawing as a recent Western invention.