Perspectives of Disappearance

Perspectives of Disappearance

The perspectives of disappearance rely on many triggers. There is the proportional reduction of size over distance called linear perspective. Among others there are color recession, overlapping shapes, gradient shifts, diminishing ratio of value contrasts, diminishing edge acuity, amalgamation and rounding of shapes, and atmospheric perspective.

Anthony McCall gave a recent 3-D digital demonstration of linear perspective at Milwaukee’s Museum of Art using a computer, digital video, digital projector and a haze machine. See example 1A.

Example 1a.  Anthony McCall’s 2006 digital 3D projection,

When faced with a natural landscape as you see in examples one and two we especially see how both diminishing edge acuity and diminishing color contrast over distance influence our sensation of near vs. far.  In example 1 we see the painting at an early stage in which there is no differentiation in edge acuity from the foreground to the background.  In example two we see how the introduction of more articulated information lies in the foreground and dissipates as the eye looks up into deeper space.

Example 1.  Step one, Flooded April Fields, oil on brushed silver aluminum, 24×24,

Example 2. Step two, Flooded April Fields,

As the subject shifts from a more natural landscape to an urban architectural and rectilinear landscape I change the perspective priorities. I rely more heavily on linear perspective though I continue to use other perspective triggers.

In my blog-post of March 18, 2018 I demonstrated a tape and razor cutting technique to generate strong graphic and linear perspective effects. Many modern artists like James Rosenquist used such methods. I recommence again with an example I introduced on March 18.

To reacquaint you with the March 18^th blog image I offer 3 examples (3, 4, 5 and 6).  Example three presents the image after step one’s initial taping and cutting, step two’s over-painting of the taped area, and step three’s removal of tape which you see here.

Example 4 shows the image as it was last presented on March 18. Example 5 shows the image before its most recent cut and paint procedure.  Example 6 presents the image in its current state after it was additionally taped, razored, over-painted, and tape removed.  Observe how the sensation of linear perspective has been amplified and curiously, how the image also feels more abstracted with the addition of the new sharp graphic forms. Elements with sharp edges can tend to flatten a picture unless they are unified in a linear perspective design.

Example 3, Earlier stage in which image had been razored and then over-painted,

Example 4, A later stage in which the razored taped areas have been removed to reveal sharp white shapes,

Example 5. Later stage after further re-taping, re-razoring and more over-painting,

Example 6, The new current state of the image after its most recent cut and paint procedure,