Linear Perspective

Foreshortening and linear perspective are good for painters to know and understand.

Simply put, foreshortening means that an object or parts of an object that are closer to us appear larger than objects or parts of objects that are further in the distance.

Linear perspective is the representation of height, width, and depth on a flat surface such as paper. Using one-point and two-point perspective, one can render objects so they appear 3 dimensional.

The Florentine sculptor and architect Filippo Brunelleschi is credited with developing one-point perspective early in the 15th century.

Below, is a picture of the painting, Christo Morto nel Sepolcro e Tre Dolenti by Andrea Mantegna. It's in the Brera Museum (Pinacoteca di Brera) in Milan, Italy. In this painting of Christ we see that Senor Montegna used artistic liscense and rendered foreshortening in the reverse. Rendered correctly, Christ's feet would appear much larger because they are in the foreground and his head much would appear much smaller because it is in the background and further in the distance.

The following altered version of the work may be more correct in showing foreshortening. The feet are larger and the head smaller as would be seen in proper foreshortening. Still, I think I prefer Senore Mantegna's original version.

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