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Mediaevals Can't Do Perspecti--

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
Because while it may be simple enough to recognise perspective or the lack of it in a painting, the geometric principles which enable a 3 dimensional image to be portrayed in 2 dimensions, require considerable thought, effort and understanding on the part of the artist
It requires an understanding of lighting and shading.
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
They were not particularly concerned with realism. The emphasis was on decorative and symbolic imagry.

When we discussed the art of the Orthodox Church this was our conclusion of the painting style as well. It's also why you see things like an infant Jesus with a grown man's face and things like that.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
It requires an understanding of lighting and shading.
Particularly when it comes to uneven or rounded irregular surfaces such as the contours of the face or the shapes found in nature.

Another thing is using the proper scale and understanding angles to bring out that 3D effect on a two-dimensional medium.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
Particularly when it comes to uneven or rounded irregular surfaces such as the contours of the face or the shapes found in nature.

Another thing is using the proper scale and understanding angles to bring out that 3D effect on a two-dimensional medium.
Yeah. Studying light and gently and progressively pressing harder on your pencil and adding layers is how you transform 2d into 3d.
 

Rival

se Dex me saut.
Staff member
Premium Member
Still , it does have a bit of charm to it.

I envy those who can do proper perspective. I've gained some success with it with my own art, but I've never been able to really perfect it leaving it as a challenge that I may or may not ever achieve.
You didn't get it either.

Can you not see the picture? It's in 3D. It's from the Middle Ages.

I don't get why people are confused.
 

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
Comparing all religious art with contemporary - two different styles. This contemporary religious artwork using the Neopoprealism art style as way of expression. It is called "Jesus & Virgin Mary", artist Nadia Russ.
Therefore? How is your comment in any way relevant to my discussion with @Rival.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
Prior to humans learning how to render images with perspective, the relative sizes of things in a visual depiction were based oh their importance. So that the God character would be the largest, angels next largest, then humans, and so on.
it took a while for artists to work out the mechanics of capturing visual perspective, so there is a time frame where they were only able to get it partly right.
 

Rel

New Member
Therefore? How is your comment in any way relevant to my discussion with @Rival.
I believe that non-perspective art is part of any culture, it was as long as art exists, and perspectuve art as well. It probably depends on what artists like to do. But we in 21st century, only can guess what was in past centuries, because history was modified many times and not all art/painting /drawings were saved for us to look at and see. But you and others may be have other opinions. I would not be arguing with you.
 

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
I believe that non-perspective art is part of any culture, it was as long as art exists, and perspectuve art as well.
At issue is not whether "non-perspective art is part of any culture," but rather whether perspective art was likewise part of any culture. So, for example ...

Although supported by limited evidence, it is held that attempts to develop a system of perspective are believed to have begun around the fifth century B.C. in ancient Greece, as part of an interest in illusionism allied to theatrical scenery. However, even though Hellenistic painters could create an illusion of depth in their works, there is no evidence that they understood the precise mathematical laws which govern correct representation. [source]

The entry goes on to note ...

Whatever its degree of sophistication in antiquity, the knowledge of perspective was lost until the fifteenth century. From the Duecento to the Cinquecento, a period after which art academies formally introduced the teaching of perspective, painters explored various techniques to evoke spatial depth on a flat surface. Progress was relatively uneven because painters did not always work in close contact with each other. [ibid]
 
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