Brunelleschi and the Discovery of Linear Perspective

Historical Context

• Filippo Brunelleschi's Experiment
  • Conducted at the Cathedral of Florence.
  • Demonstrated linear perspective as a way to create realistic three-dimensional illusions on two-dimensional surfaces.

Development of Linear Perspective

• Notion of Perspective
  • A system easy to follow and highly accurate.
  • Translates the volumetric world into a static two-dimensional representation.
• Historical Speculation
  • Uncertain if linear perspective existed in the Ancient World (Greeks/Romans).
  • Rediscovered or created by Brunelleschi in the 15th century (~1420).

Brunelleschi's Influence and Techniques

• Artistic Influence
  • Studied antiquity in Rome.
  • Attempted to portray buildings accurately.
• Artistic Context
  • Artists in the 1300s were creating three-dimensional figures using modeling.
  • Challenge was to place figures in believable spaces (e.g., Giotto and Duccio).

The Cultural Environment

• Analytical and Mathematical Culture
  • Trade-based society demanding precision and mathematical accuracy.
  • Brunelleschi's perspective addressed this need.

Brunelleschi's Methodology

• Essential Elements
  • Vanishing point at the viewer's horizon line.
  • Series of orthogonals (illusionistic receding diagonals).
• The Experiment
  • Created a perspective image of the baptistery.
  • Painted or drew the image with a hole at the vanishing point.
  • Used a mirror to compare the painted image and the real structure.
  • Verified the experiment visually using reflection.

Impact on Western Art

• Profound impact on Western painting tradition.
• Paintings post-15th century either adopted or consciously rejected linear perspective.

Further Developments

• Alberti's Contribution
  • Within decades, Alberti wrote "On Painting."
  • Codified Brunelleschi's discovery.
  • Provided a manual for artists on using linear perspective.