Abstract
Are pictorial renderings that deviate from linear perspective necessarily ‘wrong’? Are those in perfect
linear perspective necessarily ‘right’? Are wrong depictions in some sense ‘impossible’? Linear
perspective is the art of the peep show, making sense only from one fixed position, whereas typical
art works are constructed and used more like panel presentations, that leave the vantage point free. In
the latter case the viewpoint is free; moreover, a change of viewpoint has only a minor effect on pictorial
experience. This phenomenologically important difference can be made explicit and formal, by
considering the effects of panning eye movements when perusing scenes, and of changes of viewpoint
induced by translations with respect to pictorial surfaces. We present examples from formal
geometry, photography, and the visual arts
linear perspective necessarily ‘right’? Are wrong depictions in some sense ‘impossible’? Linear
perspective is the art of the peep show, making sense only from one fixed position, whereas typical
art works are constructed and used more like panel presentations, that leave the vantage point free. In
the latter case the viewpoint is free; moreover, a change of viewpoint has only a minor effect on pictorial
experience. This phenomenologically important difference can be made explicit and formal, by
considering the effects of panning eye movements when perusing scenes, and of changes of viewpoint
induced by translations with respect to pictorial surfaces. We present examples from formal
geometry, photography, and the visual arts
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-38 |
| Number of pages | 38 |
| Journal | Art & perception |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |