Skip to main content
Humanities LibreTexts

2.5: Visual Elements of Art- Space and Perspective

  • Page ID
    156850
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

    \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

    ( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

    \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

    \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

    \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

    \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

    \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)

    \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}}      % arrow\)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}}      % arrow\)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)

    \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

    \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)

    \(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)

    Overview

    At its core, space is the area in, around, and between objects. Space can also be thought of as a different type of perspective. Space also gives an illusion of a three-dimensional space that makes a painting look more realistic in a two-dimensional work of art.


    Space

    Space is the empty area surrounding real or implied objects. The pictorial space is flat. If looking at a digital work, the digital realm resides in cyberspace. Art responds to all of these kinds of space. There are many ways for the artist to present ideas of space.


    Techniques for creating a sense of depth and the illusion of space include:

    1. Size, overlapping, and position
    2. Alternating value and texture
    3. Changing brightness and color

    1. Size, Overlapping, and Position

    • The size of one shape compared to another, often suggests that the larger the object is closer to us. In a similar understanding, if one shape overlaps another, the shape in front seems to be closer. Also, a shape lower in the picture plane also appears to be closer.
    • In Steve DiBenedetto's drawing, we recognize that the objects close to us appear larger than objects farther away, so the juxtaposition of large and smaller helicopter suggest deep space between two helicopters.
    • Overlapping images also creates the illusion that one object is in front of the other in space. The helicopters appear to be closer to us than the elaborately decorated red launching or landing pad below.
    • And because we are looking down on the screen, a sense of deep space is further suggested.2

    THINKING AHEAD

    Steve DiBenedetto, Deliverance, 2004. Colored pencil on paper. Courtesy of David Nolan Gallery, New York. Collection of Morris Orden, New York.

    2. Alternating Value and Texture

    • The illusion of depth in two dimensions is often influenced by the arrangement of value and texture.
    • Artists use dark and light values as tools for creating depth. It is called as value.
    • In Asher Brown Durand's painting, each area of light and dark occupies different amounts of space. Visual layers (background, mid-ground and foreground layers create a sense of depth in this painting. The trees in the foreground are detailed and bright green, but as they recede into the background they become a lighter gray and out of focus. The lines and shapes also become less distinct in the background 1

    Asher Brown Durand: Kindred Spirits

    Asher Brown Durand, Kindred Spirits, 1849. Oil on canvas, 44 × 36". Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. "Asher Brown Durand: Kindred Spirits" by h2kyaks is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

    • In Michelangelo's Head of a Satyr hatching lines creates alternating value and texture. Hatching consists of a series of lines, close to and parallel to each other. Cross-hatching is a variant of hatching in which the lines overlap. Both are used to express value and create a greater sense of form and depth
    • The artwork created by Michelangelo is a cross-hatched pen-and-ink drawing. It gives the face solidity and depth. By building up layers of brown ink, Michelangelo overcomes the restrictions created by the thin line of the pen. 3

    Head of a Satyr, XVI, 21×28 cm by Michelangelo Buonarroti: History,  Analysis & Facts | Arthive

    Michelangelo, Head of a Satyr, c. 1520–30. Pen and ink on paper, 10⅝ × 7⅞". Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

    3. Changing brightness and color

    • In a painting, brighter colors may appear closer in a painting as dark or duller versions of the same color tend to recede. For example, an intense green will appear closer to the viewer than a darker green. We perceive color that is more intense as being closer.
    • In The Wreck of the Ole 97, Thomas Hart Benton used brightness and color to create a sense of distance 3

    Thomas Hart Benton "Wreck of the Ol' 97" (1944) [1600x1001] : r/ArtPorn

    Thomas Hart Benton, The Wreck of the Ole 97, 1943. Egg tempera on gessoed masonite, 28½ × 44½". Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee © Benton Testamentary Trusts/UMB Bank Trustee/VAGA, NY/DACS, London 2018

    Definition: Chiaroscuro
    • Chiaroscuro can produce dramatic effects
    • Chiaroscuro is an Italian term that translates as light-dark and refers to the balance and pattern of light and shade in a painting or drawing
    • Chiaroscuro is generally only remarked upon when it is a particularly prominent feature of the work, usually when the artist is using extreme contrasts of light and shade.
    • This method of applying value to a two-dimensional artwork creates the illusion of three dimensions
    • Renaissance artists identified five distinct areas of light and shadow: Highlight, light, core shadow, reflected light, and cast shadow. 3

    Values and planes of a geodesic sphere Diagram of chiaroscuro

    Values and planes of a geodesic sphere Diagram of chiaroscuro

    Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts. Third Edition By Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields Copyright © 2015 Thames & Hudson

    Perspective

    Perspective refers to different techniques artists use to suggest a three-dimensional (3D) space on a two-dimensional (2D) plane. Two types of perspective most commonly seen in the Western tradition will be discussed.

    Linear Perspective

    Linear perspective is seen when parallel lines meet at a point on the horizon of a 2D composition to convey a sense of depth that mimics 3D recession or depth.

    Definition: Term

    Depth: how far into, from front-to-back (also considered recession), or from side-to-side we can physically go into an object or appear to go into a composition.

    Linear perspective uses horizontal lines and one or more vanishing points to create this illusion of three-dimensional space.

    One point perspective: HL = horizon line. VP = vanishing point

    One point perspective: HL = horizon line. VP = vanishing point

    One-point perspective

    The following is an artwork that uses a one-point perspective. Sometimes, an artist will create more than one vanishing point to have the viewer focus on important forms in the composition. In this instance, that important form is Jesus Christ. Da Vinci composes the work by locating the vanishing point directly behind the head of Christ, thus drawing the viewer's attention to the center. His arms mirror the receding lines on the walls and ceiling, and, if we follow them as lines, would converge at the same vanishing point.

    clipboard_e3103b76f71ebf2b22d4fbb9e0f88f2aa.png

    Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, c. 1495-1498. Tempera. 181 in. x 346 in. Santa Maria della Grazie. Milan, Italy. "LEONARDO da Vinci The Last Supper 1498 Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan" by normanrusin is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

    From the definition: “Parallel lines...” In this instance, there are implied lines (along the tops of the Apostles’ heads) creating the parallel line.

    clipboard_eb20bdb3d32d096cca6ff6fe6b09589c9.png

    “Parallel lines that meet at a point on the horizon (this point is known as the vanishing point)...”

    clipboard_e7fe7f3f241c4a0476f559cfdd73aa9b0.png

    There are more implied lines (at the top of the doorways) creating a parallel line.

    clipboard_eef03422362d6908f1711690ee4ad21b2.png

    “Parallel lines that meet at a point on the horizon (of a 2D plane)...”

    clipboard_e10e73699404b6d9d5d4036077763068f.png

    Next, there are literal lines (on the ceiling) that create a parallel line.

    clipboard_eb0a2ae28d65d559a9cd6fd2c913b2cf4.png

    Now, there are more literal lines (on the ceiling) creating parallel lines.

    clipboard_e530a88d315c1de2e4114c087190875e3.png

    Eventually, all the literal and implied lines meet at the vanishing point.

    clipboard_e8b148148261772beefcccb4d9c5f13fc.png

    The definition continues with “...to create a sense of depth that mimics 3D recession”

    Now, the definition is complete, "parallel lines that meet at a point on the horizon of a 2D plane to convey a sense of depth that mimics 3D recession or depth." Notice that the area outside of the window behind Jesus’ head looks like it's further away from us; specifically, that it is in the background.

    clipboard_e3103b76f71ebf2b22d4fbb9e0f88f2aa.png

    Notice something else? On what form are all the lines directed to on the horizon? Jesus. In this composition, da Vinci is suggesting that Jesus is the most important figure
    at his image of the last supper. In the Western tradition, the most important form in the artwork is always located at the vanishing point--a term that is sometimes called the focal point.

    clipboard_e8b148148261772beefcccb4d9c5f13fc.png

    Two-point perspective

    Two-point perspective occurs when the vertical edge of a cube is facing the viewer, exposing two sides that recede into the distance, one to each vanishing point.

    Two Point Perspective

    Two-point Perspective

    Caillebotte's (1848-1894) Paris Street; Rainy Day is an example of a work that uses two-point perspective. This type of perspective can be seen in the building in the background on the left-hand side of the composition.

    Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street; Rainy Day

    Gustave Caillebotte. Paris Street; Rainy Day. 1877. Oil on canvas. 83.5 in. x 108.7 in.
    Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL. "Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street; Rainy Day" by profzucker is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

    Atmospheric Perspective

    Asher B. Durand, Kindred Spirits

    Asher B. Durand. Kindred Spirits. 1849. Oil on canvas. 45.98 in. x 35.98 in.
    Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR. "Asher B. Durand, Kindred Spirits" by profzucker is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

    Atmospheric perspective is an artistic technique on a 2D plane that mimics what the eye sees when looking at forms in the distance.

    All of the following criteria must be present for atmospheric perspective to be seen.

    Forms at a distance must appear...

    • lighter in color

    Notice the difference in the value between the forms in the foreground and those in the background.

    • less detailed

    Although there are generally plants and streams of water in the mountains, such a level of detail cannot be seen in the background of this painting.

    • smaller in size

    In real life, mountains are larger in size than men, but in this composition, the men are just as large (if not larger) than the mountains in the background.

    Summary
    • Space is the empty area that surrounds real or implied objects.
    • Different types of perspective can be used to create a convincing sense of three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional plane.
    • The most common types of perspective used in Western tradition art are linear perspective and atmospheric perspective.

    Sources

    1. Gildow, Christopher. Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, http://opencourselibrary.org/art-100-art-appreciation. Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
    2. Sayre, Henry. A World of Art, Sixth edition. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.
    3. DeWitte, Debra J. , Larmann, Ralph M. , and Shields, M. Kathryn . Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition.

    2.5: Visual Elements of Art- Space and Perspective is shared under a CC BY-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

    • Was this article helpful?