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Home , Aerial perspective, Giorgio de Chirico, Leonardo da Vinci, Richard Estes

SPOTLIGHT Flat Figures Before the , most in centered around Christianity. The most important figures were placed in centrally and painted larger than the others. It wasn't important for them to be in realistic-looking settings. Perspective At the start of the Renaissance, artists became interested in more of the world around them. However, they did not Renaissance artists forever changed have the visual tools to create depth on a the way we depict the world around us two-dimensional picture plane. In Giovanni di Paolo's [joh-VAHN-ni OEE-pow-Ioh] 1445 Paradise [below left), the figures look flat uring the Renaissance [1 400­ and appear to be floating in space. They're Why do the figures 1600), the air in Europe seemed all the same size and are stacked on top of in this scene appear charged with ideas. Artists, one another in rows. The horizon line [the unnatural and unrealistic? , musicians, architects, line dividing the earth from the sky] is scientists, and mathematicians placed near the top rather than at eye G! .annl dl PlolD fc .l'103-c.l49!?J. Pc(adJse. precf.e ili;\' ~anel Ca. lC~ 5 . clamored for knowledge and new leve l, as we see Earth's horizon in real life. T~m otl ••",d ogld on eanva,. , transferred from wood, 17 t.4 x 15 ways of looking at the world. It was one of U6 1n Rog!l, FUfld . 19 06 (06. !01.l'6J. Tht! M etropolltClin Mutlum o. f ':'rt. ' lew YQ;I ,.(. NY. lwa". cco'r:tght the most exciting times in history. Art Meets Math OihE!: Met ropc!lta., \~ U';I IJ", ell Art Sourc€ : Art Rnou,e-e. NV. Renaissance artists experimented with ways to create the illusion of deep space on a flat surface. Th ey figured out that in real life, parallel lines [for example, a road] appear to converge, or meet, as they recede into the horizon. Additionally, objects that are close appear to be larger and in better focus than those farther away. By applying these concepts to their canvases, artists could mimic the way we see the orld. This mathematical system of using lines to create realistic-looking depth is called linear perspective.

School of Greats By the , many artists had mastered the new system of using perspective. Whe n a young artist named Raphae l was hired to paint a on a wall of the li brary at St. Peter's Church in , e as excit ed to show off this technique. From our point of view, wh en we look at School ofAthens [above, right) it is hard to tell where the real architecture ends and the painted arches begin. It is as if we are looking through the wa ll it is painted on and into the next room. In that room are some of q SCHOLASTIC ART' MARCH 2012 the great thinkers of history who inspired , including the Greek philosophers Plato and in the center. Raphael used one-point perspective to compose this work. The lines on the floor tiles and the pillars converge at a single vanishing point on the horizon line. It is between Plato's and Aristotle's heads (see diagram). The converging lines also draw our attention to the t wo figures. Even though they are painted smaller and with less detail than the figures in the foreground (the closest area to the viewer), we can still tell they are the most important. School ofAthens is considered one of the best examples of linear perspective. For ore than 500 years, artists have ntinued to use the techniques developed the diagram showing one-point :;~ n g the Renaissance. Today artists like perspective. Then look for additional _- ar Estes play with these techniques to converging lines in School ofAthens, cr.,a 8 even more realistic scenes than Rap hael [l483·1520l. Th~ School of At hens, ca. 15 10-1512. Fre sco. Stanza dell a Segnatura. Stanle di Raffaello. Vatica n t hough' ssible in Raphael's time. Palace. Va t ican St ate, Ph oto; Scala I An Reso urce, NY.

MARCH 2012 • SCHOLASTIC ART 5 SPOTLIGHT PERSPECTIVE 's The Delivery of the Keys inspired Raphael's School ofAthens.

Pietr o Pe' fU!;JII'I !J tc .ll.l1.l5-1523J. GI •.llg c( the Heys tlO Sr. Peu::r . lIlSl. The Sistine Qo,lI jlol. Vati ca ... City. P'1nlCJ. ~f)-E 8.idgeman Ar t Uorary.luncon

ONE-POINT Things Raphael, who painted School ofAthens on page 5, was a great Renaissance master, but he didn't invent perspective. His to Knovv teacher, Pietro Perugino (Pee-EH-troh Pehr-ooh-JEEN-ohl. taught him. In Perugino's painting above, done 30 years before Raphael's, About large detailed figures stand in the foreground and the figures in the background are smaller and harder to see. As in Raphael's painting, Perspective all of the architectural lines recede to a single vanishing point.

TWO-POINT Early Renaissance artist (mah-SAH-choh) 2 used the new system of perspective to set his solid, three-dimensional figures in very real-looking settings. In this detail from his fresco The Tribute Money, two men stand in front of a building painted using two-point perspective. The corner is closest to us, allowing us to see two sides of the building at once. One wall recedes toward one vanishing point. and the other recedes toward a second vanishing point located outside the frame of the picture. For a diagram showing two-point perspective, turn the page!

Using two-point perspective, Masaccio shows two sides of one building.

~.l e 6a cc lO· (lQo!-IQ-?sl. The jrUllJ ,-~ .~.,rQ n ey (d-e c. 'H:). Fresco . ii'l: 8rancacci Chapel, S. M3ri 8 -::le i CarmIne, FIQre::ics', Itafy. Fh"C o: S:c a'a ' Ar t I;'es.oo.;r ce. NY.

6 SCHOLASTIC ART· MARCH 2012 's smile gets the most attention, but the mountains also add mystery to Leonardo 's masterpiece.

AERIAL leona rdo da V'n: i [l4S2-1519}, ..fone Li sa. Oil on '.'."Qc d. T7 " 53 em. The l CUlJre. Pari s, F{ance. Ph.o to. ReunIon des Mtosees 1~ at io -..'Ju)( J Not all perspective is linear. Art Resource. t~ y. Renaissance artists also made their -especially their landscapes-look more real using . You can see an example of this in 's masterpiece Mona Lisa. In the background, the closest mountains are darker and clearer. Farther away, the forms are smaller and hazier. On the horizon, the colors of the forms blend in with the of the sky. The winding roads and mountain peaks draw attention to the focal point-the figure's face and her famous smile.

q ~O~~R~~i~?n~~~i~~~i~that [POW-Ioh oo-CHEL-oh) was obsessed with perspective. He'd stay up all night making mathematical diagrams for his paintings. In his famous Battle of San Romano [detail at left), the foreground is filled with foreshortened objects like the back legs of the horse on the right. The hooves are enlarged so they seem to be coming toward the viewer. Can you spot other foreshortened objects in this scene?

How does Paolo Uccello use perspective in this battle scene?

Paolo Ucc e!lo [1397-1475]. The Bartle of San Romono, (detail), 1423. lLl5S. The Uffill Gall.ry. . lta , ~'. Photo: Eric l.-e ssing I Art Resource, NY.

DISTORTION By the 20th century, had taken the place of most realistic painting. Artists began using perspective to comment on the anxiety of modern life. Surrealist (JOR-joh duh-KEER-ih-koh) painted the scene at right using one­ point perspective. But he exaggerated the angle of the converging lines, so the buildings seem to rush at the viewer. The diagonal shadows clash with the lines, creating confusion. A ship's sail rising above the horizon line gives the work a dream-like quality.

What elements make Giorgio de Chirico's painting seem unnatural and surreal?

GiorglD de Chilico H88S-19781, ne Aft,o i,ty of L'Vo itinq, Fo :'\dazlone Maog'l ani Rocca. Corte di Ma mi :InO, . Photo. Scala I Art Re scufce, rN 0 20 2 Artlsts RrBhts SC'.: ie ty (ARS). NewYor.", I SIAE. Rome. SPOTLIGHT PERSPECTIVE

New Views of America American realist painter used perspective to show different aspects of American life

What is the point of rtists of the Renaissance used Haunting House view in this painting the then-new system of linear Hopper is famous for painting scenes of by Edward Hopper? perspective with mathematical Where would you have urban and rural Ameri can life. Many of his to stand to get this precision. The y carefully placed paintings have a lonely or isolated mood. perspective? each line to achieve the The artist thought of these emotions as

E¢.'. ."n::I Hot/pel U 882·19 671, afl~e greatest illusion of depth on features of fast-paced modern life. in 0 SmQIf Ci(y, 1 9~ . 0 t an cen\o as, 28 x "O il'\. ihe Met ro::.olrtan the picture plane. Artists continued to work The 1825 painting House by the Railroad \~us eu '-" 1:I f Al"i. tn', G &o ~ !i: e A. Heam F'~ nd 1953 153. 1831 image copyrigh, D he Metr opo!;tln this way for hundreds of years. (right) is a "portrait" of a Victorian-era home I.>\ uuum of 4, rt. ?rcto: Art Resourc e. NY. in Hopper's hometow n, Nyack, New York. Modern Ideas There are no people or other houses, which By the 20th ce ntury, photography had lends the composition an eerie stillness. The replaced and painting as the main house looks so creepy, the movie dire ctor tool for depicting the real world. Some artists Alfred Hitchcock used it as inspiration for the experimented with abstract art that did not house in his classic thriller Psycho. feature linear perspective. Others, such as The artist once said, "I wanted to paint mid-2Oth-century American painter Edward sunlight on the side of a house." The sun Hopper, preferred to work in a realistic style, illuminates the house on the left and casts even when it was considered "unmodern." a dark shadow on the right, adding to the

B SCHOLASTIC ART· MARCH 2012 mysterious mood. Hopper painted the Scenes of City Life house using two-point perspective. In Hopper's 1953 Office in a Small City The house is set diagonally to the viewer; [left), a man sits alone in an office on an we see two sides at once. The vertical upper story of a tall building. He stares out a edge lines of the structure intersect the large window; across the street, there is an horizon line at 90 degrees. The horizontal older building. Even though he works in the converging lines recede to two vanishing city, the man appears to be completely alone. points outside the frame (see diagram). In this painting, Hopper uses perspective Hopper hid the horizon line behind a set to try to disorient the viewer. He does it by of railroad tracks in the foreground. He showing both the inside and the outside of placed the tracks at a slight inward angle, the building. He said, "I wanted to achieve adding more depth to the painting. The the sensation of showing the interior and tracks also act as a barrier to separate the exterior of a building simultaneously." How house from the viewer. do you feel when you look at this work?

" If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint." -Edward Hopper

How did Hopper use perspective to show two sides of the house at once? Study the diagram to find out!

Edward Hopper, House by the- Railroad, 1925.0 I on can'/u. 2LJ x 29 In. Tre ,M use um 01 . NV. Given .ana ymcusty. QI;!tal Image DTtle useum of Modem Art/ Llcerrse-d by SCALA I Art Re sQ.UrC8, NY.

Two-Point Perspective I

MARCH 2012 • SCHOLASTIC ART 9 SPOTLIGHT PERSPECTIVE Playing With Perspective American contemporary painter Richard Estes shatters expectations about perspective

fter the of Traditional Perspectives Can you create a photography in the 1800s, Cities are full of angles, lines, and diagram showing the one-point perspective artists began to question their , which makes them the perfect in this painting? role in the world. After all, the subject for exploring perspective. In Subway camera efficiently translates (above and on the cover), painted in 1960, in ORictJard Estes, CQvr tely the three-dimensional world Estes depicts the inside of a subway ca r Marl:JcuJ ghGaller" N!!'.... V rk. into two dimensions. That was a job that using one-point perspective. The previously only artists could do. In the symmetrical composition is divided in half 1960s, a group of artists, known as the by the vertical pole in the center. The left and photorealists, embraced the camera as an right sides each other, except for artistic tool. They began photographing their details like the advertisements along the subjects, then creating extremely realistic ceiling and the newspaper on the bench. The and paintings based on the photos. lines created by the floor tiles, the benches, the windows, and the ceiling converge at Scenes of City Life the center door behind the pole. This level American contemporary artist Richard of geometric specificity contributes to the Estes is one of the founders of photo . hyperrealistic look of Estes's painting. He is best known for his paintings of . To create a painting, Estes Altered Perspectives photographs a scene, then develops a Recently, Estes has been experimenting composition based on the photos. Because with perspective and how reflections can the camera captures more detail than the alter the way we see space. In 2000's Spring human eye can perceive, the paintings are Afternoon, Madison Square, New York more vivid and the perspective more complex (above, right), the composition is divided than could be achieved without using photos. vertically, but the result is different than in

10 SCHOLASTIC ART· MARCH 2012 "Photographs make it possible to capture reflections that are only there for a moment when the light hits." -Richard Estes

Fl I~r tl i: s ,~ s , StJrlllg Af If'noon, ';.fc:d,'Scm SQl.lo re. r.IE\': Yo,'«. 2000. Chi on cafl ... a~ . 3tl A. 6 ~ Ir, Clq"l cl].rtl Es e~ , CC:.Irti'i°! r.\S"bcfou,gn Subway. On the right side of the canvas, G.lt!J'I. "'l!w 'Yor k. Estes depicts the sidewalk, the street and the buildings. On the left, he shows the reflection of the scene in the window of a building. The reflection is not an exact mirror image because Estes included the objects just inside the window in addition to those reflected in the glass. In 2003's Broad Street (right), Estes distorts perspective even further. The viewer looks down on a tightly cropped and foreshortened car that fills almost the entire picture plane. We understand from the reflections Estes has painted on the hood and windshield that the car is surrounded by skyscrapers. This point of view makes us feel as though we are looking down at a car and up at the sky at the same time. The juxtaposition can make you dizzy!

WRITE ABOUT ART

Renaissance artists

about how Richard . - How does Estes use the car to give you a sense of the tali buildings in a large city? .. ... Rishard Estes. Sroad St'e:s t. 2003 Ojl ICInticClI d, 22 x 20 in, 'ORlchara Estes. CClU iUS)' tAarlciilrm;gh Galler.,'. N=,,'; York

MARCH 2012 • SCHOLASTIC ART 11 HANDS-ON PROJECT DRAWUJG

BELOW:Juzo drew this RIGHT: Rudra included building in two-point multiple vanishing perspective. Where points, depicting did he stand to get diHerent levels of a this point of view? building's interior.

Make a Perspective Drawing Use what you've learned about - -- -- perspective to draw a building

ou've seen how artists from the Renaissance to today MATERIALS have used perspective • camera Y • computerl to realistically depict their printer access world. In this project, you'll • 9"X12" heavyweight create a photorealistic drawing drawing paper of a building in your city or • No. 2 pencil town using one- or two-point • ruler • markers, perspective. colored pencils, or oil ABOVE: Uan's single vanishing point is to the far left, Prepared by 8artlara Nueske· Perez. Te sseract Se noo l, Phoenix, Arizo na. so the building is shown at an extreme angle. Artwork by ju20 Ho gam j. Rud ra Chauhan. and Lian Engelmen. lq SCHOLASTIC ART· MARCH 2012 Photograph LEFT: Print out your Your Subject photo or upload it Like Richard Estes, you'll work from a to your computer to reference as photograph. Think about the interesting you . structures where you live and decide which one you'd like to draw. Some ideas BELOW: Use markers, are malls with escalators, construction colored pencils, or oil sites with scaffolding, grocery stores, pastels to add color college campuses, or even your own to your image. school. As homework, photograph your subject. TIP: Shoot from several points of view, such as from the ground looking up and at an angle.

Draw in Pencil Choose the photograph you'll base your drawing on-those showing clear one- or two-point perspective work best. You may wish to crop it to create a more interesting composition. Start by drawing your horizon line and setting your vanishing point(sl. If you're using two-point perspective, they may be out of the frame. Be sure your vertical-edge lines are 80 degrees to the horizon line. Using a ruler and pencil, create your drawing. TIP: Enlarge your photo on a computer to see even more detail.

Color It Decide what media you would like to use to color your image. Consider using colored pencils, markers, or oil pastels. Use brighter color and more detail in the foreground and less detail in the middle and background. If reflective surfaces are in your image, try including them in the style of Richard Estes. When you're finished, hold a class review. TIP: Use your photo for inspiration, but S don't forget to use your imagination! ABOVE: Once you have finished, discuss the perspective in each drawing as a class.

MARCH 2012· SCHOLASTIC ART 15