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What does it do for our art?

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Do you know?

Now that you have learned about the different kinds of perspective, let's look at why perspective is important to art. Study the artworks below and answer the following questions:

  1. Does the artist use perspective?
  2. If they do, which kind are they using?
  3. Does the artwork show deep or shallow space?
  4. Would you have used a different type of perspective if you were the artist?
  5. If the artwork doesn't use perspective, do you think it should?
  6. How does the lack of perspective impact the artwork?

After answering the questions in your head, click on each image to look more closely at the artwork and study the caption provided.

american-gothic-1930
american-gothic-1930

American Gothic by Grant Wood, 1930
This artwork has a linear perspective, but it is hard to see because the people and the house face the viewer straight on. The perspective is seen in the barn to the right of the frame, where the eve of the roof is angled back towards a vanishing point that is positioned behind the house. This artwork mostly relies on overlap and scale to create space, so it does not have a deep sense of space. The focus of the artwork is on the people, and the background mostly serves to tell the viewer what they do for a living.

le-moulin-de-la-galette-4-1886
le-moulin-de-la-galette-4-1886

Le Moulin De La Galette 4 by Vincent Van Gogh, 1886
This artwork uses a three-point perspective to show a lot of space and to emphasize the size of the windmill. The use of scale and perspective in this artwork tells the viewer that the windmill is very tall and large. If the viewpoint were closer to the windmill or did not suggest as much space, the windmill wouldn't have been the main subject-- the people would have been.

flower-carrier-1935
flower-carrier-1935

Flower Carrier by Diego Rivera, 1935
This artwork does not use perspective. Because the viewpoint is so zoomed in on the people, there is very little background shown and very little depth. be The viewer is supposed to be drawn to the main subject, the people, and their shared hardship. If the viewpoint had been zoomed out and showed more of the background, the focus would not have been on the couple or would have been less intensely so.

As you have learned, a deep perspective is not necessary for every artwork. Because deep perspective creates space and broadens the viewpoint of the subject, it is best used to portray a large space or to communicate just how huge a subject is. To communicate how a subject is feeling, it is better to use a closer viewpoint and suggest less space.

Look at the artwork below. The title of this artwork is Spring in Town, and it was created by Grant Wood. Does this artwork make you think of spring? Does it seem like it is in town? Does it feel like something is missing? This image is cropped from the true artwork.

Now, click on the image to flip the card and see the full work. How does the use of more space and perspective help to tell a story? How do the other figures help to suggest springtime?

The inclusion of perspective and more space in the full artwork gives you more information. Instead of just a man planting seeds, you can now see a portion of the town and other people hard at work on their spring tasks. The larger perspective also draws the focus of the work from only the man in the foreground to the entire town.

Using perspective creates a realistic portrayal of height and depth. Perspective can be used to guide the viewer's eyes and can also aid in creating a focal point and suggesting deep or shallow space.

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Lesson Connection!

Answer this question to see if you can remember what you learned in previous lessons.

Question

Which elements of art form the basis for perspective?