aerial perspective

aerial perspective
a technique of rendering depth or distance in painting by modifying the tone or hue and distinctness of objects perceived as receding from the picture plane, esp. by reducing distinctive local colors and contrasts of light and dark to a uniform light bluish-gray color. Also called atmospheric perspective.
[1725-35]

* * *

Method of producing a sense of depth in a painting by imitating the effect of atmosphere that makes objects look paler, bluer, and hazier or less distinct in the middle and far distance.

The term was coined by Leonardo da Vinci, but the technique can be seen in ancient Greco-Roman wall paintings (e.g., at Pompeii). It was discovered that dust and moisture in the atmosphere caused the scattering of light passing through it; short-wavelength light (blue) is scattered most and long-wavelength light (red) least. Italian painters in Leonardo's time used the device; it was exploited by 15th-century northern European artists and later by J.M.W. Turner.

* * *

art
also called  atmospheric perspective  
 method of creating the illusion of depth, or recession, in a painting or drawing by modulating colour to simulate changes effected by the atmosphere on the colours of things seen at a distance. Although the use of aerial perspective has been known since antiquity, Leonardo da Vinci first used the term aerial perspective in his Treatise on Painting, in which he wrote: “Colours become weaker in proportion to their distance from the person who is looking at them.” It was later discovered that the presence in the atmosphere of moisture and of tiny particles of dust and similar material causes a scattering of light as it passes through them, the degree of scattering being dependent on the wavelength, which corresponds to the colour, of the light. Because light of short wavelength—blue light—is scattered most, the colours of all distant dark objects tend toward blue; for example, distant mountains have a bluish cast. Light of long wavelength—red light—is scattered least; thus, distant bright objects appear redder because some of the blue is scattered and lost from the light by which they are seen.

 The intervening atmosphere between a viewer and, for example, distant mountains, creates other visual effects that can be mimicked by landscape painters. The atmosphere causes distant forms to have less distinct edges and outlines than forms near the viewer, and interior detail is similarly softened or blurred. Distant objects appear somewhat lighter than objects of similar tone lying closer at hand, and in general contrasts between light and shade appear less extreme at great distances. All these effects are more apparent at the base of a mountain than at its peak, since the density of the intervening atmosphere is greater at lower elevations.

 Examples of aerial perspective have been found in ancient Greco-Roman wall paintings. The techniques were lost from European art during the “Dark” and Middle Ages and were rediscovered by Flemish painters of the 15th century (such as Joachim Patinir (Patinir, Joachim)), after which they became a standard element in the European painter's technical vocabulary. The 19th-century British landscape painter J.M.W. Turner (Turner, J.M.W.) made perhaps the boldest and most ambitious use of aerial perspective among Western artists. Aerial perspective was used with great sophistication and pictorial effectiveness by Chinese landscape painters from about the 8th century on. See also perspective.
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Aerial perspective — or atmospheric perspective is the effect on the appearance of an object by the atmosphere between it and a viewer (or the technique of depicting this effect in a work of art, such as a landscape painting). As the distance between an object and a… …   Wikipedia

  • Aerial perspective — aerial aerial, Aerial A*[ e] ri*al, a. [L. a[ e]rius. See {Air}.] 1. Of or pertaining to the air, or atmosphere; inhabiting or frequenting the air; produced by or found in the air; performed in the air; as, a[ e]rial regions or currents; the a[… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Aerial perspective (disambiguation) — Aerial perspective can refer to:*Aerial perspective or atmospheric perspective is the effect on the appearance of an object by the atmosphere between it and a viewer. *For art, photography, diagrams, maps, etc., that depict landscapes or other… …   Wikipedia

  • aerial perspective — /ɛəriəl pəˈspɛktɪv/ (say airreeuhl puh spektiv) noun that branch of perspective which considers the variations of light, shade, and colour in objects delineated or photographed, according to their distances, the quality of light falling on them,… …  

  • aerial perspective — noun Date: 1704 the expression of space in painting by gradation of color and distinctness …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • aerial perspective — noun 1. : the expression of space in painting by gradation of color or distinctness 2. : the diminution of clarity of outline and intensity of color in a distant object as distance increases : the optical effect produced by diffusion of light… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Perspective (visual) — Perspective, in context of vision and visual perception, is the way in which objects appear to the eye based on their spatial attributes, or their dimensions and the position of the eye relative to the objects. There are two main meanings of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Aerial — aerial, Aerial A*[ e] ri*al, a. [L. a[ e]rius. See {Air}.] 1. Of or pertaining to the air, or atmosphere; inhabiting or frequenting the air; produced by or found in the air; performed in the air; as, a[ e]rial regions or currents; the a[ e]rial… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • aerial — aerial, Aerial A*[ e] ri*al, a. [L. a[ e]rius. See {Air}.] 1. Of or pertaining to the air, or atmosphere; inhabiting or frequenting the air; produced by or found in the air; performed in the air; as, a[ e]rial regions or currents; the a[ e]rial… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Aerial acid — aerial aerial, Aerial A*[ e] ri*al, a. [L. a[ e]rius. See {Air}.] 1. Of or pertaining to the air, or atmosphere; inhabiting or frequenting the air; produced by or found in the air; performed in the air; as, a[ e]rial regions or currents; the a[… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”