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Linear Perspective

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Frank Stalter

Paranormal Maven
How is it that man had been painting on cave walls since 10-30,000 years ago, went on to engineering great structures, developing astronomical knowledge in ancient times yet didn't develop the concept in painting of 3D, like linear perspective and vanishing points, until Brunelleschi did it in the 1400s? That doesn't make any sense at all! If anyone has any thoughts, I'd like to hear them.
 
I am an artist in few different mediums and my thought on that is simply that it was not needed for the task of chronicling history and passing information and diagrams. Yes, but that is an interesting point none the less and my explanation could be all wet.Something to ponder indeed.
 
Haha, I like your answer and your signature quote!

The more I think about it . . . the ancient Egyptians could build the Great Pyramid but they couldn't draw it accurately. It's bizarre.
 
Frank Stalter said:
How is it that man had been painting on cave walls since 10-30,000 years ago, went on to engineering great structures, developing astronomical knowledge in ancient times yet didn't develop the concept in painting of 3D, like linear perspective and vanishing points, until Brunelleschi did it in the 1400s? That doesn't make any sense at all! If anyone has any thoughts, I'd like to hear them.
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Hiya Frank. This idea is quite popular and yet not necessarily true. Sumerian cylinder seals have 3-dimensional depictions on them from some 5000 years ago...http://www.rugreview.com/122a2.htm

Another example that came to mind is the fantastic Roman mosaics from some 2000 years ago. Check out these animals on mosaics from Pompeii...http://mosaicartsource.wordpress.com/2008/09/11/cats-kittens-ancient-roman-mosaics-ephesus-istanbul-madaba-naples-paphos-pompeii-sicily-tunis/

Going as far back as I can find examples for takes us into the French caves at Chauvet some 30 000 years back...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chauvethorses.jpg

Art seems to follow fashions and then moves on. In the few hundred years (in Europe) between the decline of the Roman Empire (~400AD) and the beginning of the Renaissance (up to 1400), art appeared to fall into a rut of 2-dimensional figures. Outside of maybe the hand-painted books, it's a form that just looks crap. Going back to the time you mention, have you looked at Albrecht Durer? Whenever I look at his still lifes, it blows me away. The detail is ridiculous! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5Uy74T0Lk...VE/mqwT-WBqslY/s1600/large+clump+of+grass.jpg

I'm a fan of art and been an Art student some 4 or 5 times since high school...never did complete a single course and dropped out.
 
Kandinsky said:
Hiya Frank. This idea is quite popular and yet not necessarily true.
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Happy New Year Mr. K!

Thanks for the tip on Durer. His work doesn't look of his time at all. Really terrific. Of course, sculpture is as old as the hills and raised relief and sunken relief are a part of that. Early man obviously attempted to create an illusion of depth but they didn't get it quite right. The horses are an example of those techniques, simulate depth simply by painting the closer object in front of the further object. There was foreshortening too. But that isnt quite what Brunelleshci came up with.
 
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