PERSPECTIVE
The Horizon is The Eye Level
The horizon / eye level is the axis around which a perspective drawing is constructed.
When we are outdoors we use the horizon as a point of reference to judge the scale and distance of objects in relation to us.
In perspective drawing, the horizon happens to be the viewer's eye-level.
In art, we tend to use the term 'eye level', rather than 'horizon' as in many pictures, the horizon is frequently hidden by walls, buildings, trees, hills etc.
The horizon / eye level is the axis around which a perspective drawing is constructed.
When we are outdoors we use the horizon as a point of reference to judge the scale and distance of objects in relation to us.
In perspective drawing, the horizon happens to be the viewer's eye-level.
In art, we tend to use the term 'eye level', rather than 'horizon' as in many pictures, the horizon is frequently hidden by walls, buildings, trees, hills etc.
PERSPECTIVE
Source of material:
https://www.artyfactory.com/
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A high eye level in perspective drawing focuses more attention on the middle and distant areas of a picture.
Source of material:
https://www.artyfactory.com/
This is an excellent website full of free art lessons
A high eye level in perspective drawing focuses more attention on the middle and distant areas of a picture.
- There is a restricted view of objects that are close as you are essentially looking down upon them.
- The foreground objects move outside of the picture plane and large areas of the background are empty.
- The eye is naturally pulled towards the horizon as it forms a strong line across the picture. This also distracts the viewer from the objects in the foreground.
(Painting by American artist Grant Wood perfectly demonstrates this compositional device.)
Note how all four figures share the same eye level - i.e. the horizon of the picture. This suggests that they are all the same height and are standing on the same plane. Because the horizon happens to be our eye level, it also suggests that the figures are the same height as any viewer of the picture. As a result, the organisation of scale and distance in the drawing makes good visual sense.
Although the figures in this image are still the same size, their eye levels no longer have any relationship to the eye level of the picture. As a result, the scale of the figures is totally confused.
This demonstrates the importance of the horizon / eye level to the organisation of scale and distance in a perspective drawing.
It also illustrates the meaning of Leonardo's famous quote that, 'Perspective is to painting what the bridle is to the horse, the rudder to a ship'.