MAY 2014
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE
INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
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ENGRAVING by Paul Vredeman deVRIES 1567-1630. He was a Flemish painter and draughtsman
who specialised in architectural paintings and, in particular, church interiors
During the fifteenth century, almost all Renaissance artists turned to the use of
perspective to enhance their compositions, notably Masaccio, Mantegna, Fra Angelico
and Leonardo da Vinci. The Renaissance use of perspective reached its apogee at around
1500, as represented by the work of Raphael. He produced some of the most imposing
perspective compositions of the Renaissance, representing a kind of culmination of a
century of perspective exploration. This was the exploration of geometric ONE-POINT
PERSPECTIVE - the method used today. Attempts to evolve a system of perspective (but
not geometric) are usually considered to have begun around the fifth century BC. in the
art of Ancient Greece, as part of a developing interest in illusionism allied to theatrical
scenery.
All Renaissance examples relied on the simple one-point perspective scheme. The artists
never broke away from the concept of a principal vanishing point governing a
rectangular grid on which the architectural elements were constructed. One of the prime
exponents was Raphael, whose ‘School of Athens’ CLICK HERE fully displays the
architectural grandeur that could be achieved with this method.
The 18th century finally saw effective control over the two-point perspective
construction that seemed to have eluded the artists of previous epochs.
BELOW: The Vanishing Point (VP) does not have to be in the centre (see next page)
Using a grid is invaluable when it comes to placing the components of a drawing and establishing their
relevant heights in various positions within an area
This illustration shows the meticulous grid construction used by Leonardo da Vinci in his plan for the
painting known as the Adoration of the Magi (which was never completed). The grid lines are not present
in the painting; the artist has used it in this sketch, not only to form the architecture, but especially to
place the figures in correct proportions of size depending how near or far they stand in the drawing. The
grid also gives accurate placement of each figure or object so that each occupies its own space. It was
common practice for Renaissance artists to lay out the composition with grid lines such as these. In many
cases, the grid was drawn right onto the canvas or applied to the wall where a fresco was to be painted.
As the paint was applied, the grid lines would then be covered over.
ABOVE: The less dramatic ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE can be made more dynamic
BELOW: ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE used for an aerial view of a city