Perspective drawing, in the form of geometrically accurate representation, is generally accepted to have started during the Renaissance period with Filippo Brunelleschi.
The Renaissance Birth of Perspective
Based on historical accounts, Filippo Brunelleschi, the renowned Florentine architect, played a pivotal role in the development and formalization of linear perspective.
According to the provided reference, it is widely accepted that Brunelleschi conducted a series of groundbreaking experiments specifically between 1415 and 1420. These experiments were crucial as they involved creating detailed drawings, particularly of Florentine buildings like the Baptistery, rendered with correct perspective.
Why is This Period Significant?
Before Brunelleschi, artists sometimes attempted to depict depth, but without a consistent, mathematical system. Brunelleschi's work established the principles for creating a realistic illusion of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface.
This approach involved:
- Establishing a vanishing point on the horizon line.
- Using orthogonals (lines that appear to recede to the vanishing point) to define space and depth.
- Scaling objects and figures correctly based on their distance from the viewer.
Brunelleschi's methodical approach provided a practical, reproducible method that fundamentally changed art and architecture, leading to the realistic depth characteristic of Renaissance art.
Therefore, the period between 1415 and 1420 with Filippo Brunelleschi's experiments marks the generally accepted beginning of correct linear perspective drawing as we know it.
