Side Research: How Perspective Conveys Meaning

In illustration, the perspective an image uses can convey a lot of meaning beyond what the image depicts. There are four distinct types of perspective; Aerial Perspective (or 'bird's eye view'), Perspective of receding planes, Perspective of scale and Linear Perspective (or 'worm's eye view'). To understand how perspective can convey meaning, one has to look at the contexts in which each kind of perspective is used.

Aerial Perspective:

Aerial Perspective refers to a viewpoint from above, seeming to look down on the illustration. Also called a 'bird's eye view' or 'high angle shot', it can be employed to detach the viewer from what the illustration is depicting. A good way to think of this is to imagine yourself as a spider clinging to the ceiling, looking down on the people in the room below. An aerial perspective view also makes the elements in the illustration seem smaller, and gives them a sense of insignificance. Aerial perspective can also be used to help establish that an illustration is being viewed from a high-up place, such as the top of a tall building.

The Parkour Master (from www.actiontrip.com, 2010, artist unknown)

Perspective of Receding Planes:

Perspective of receding planes refers to a sense of depth achieved by layering elements of the illustration one on top of the other. Commonly employed in Japanese wood block prints and landscape paintings, this is a straightforward method of establishing a sense of distance in an illustration, as the layered elements in the illustration appear to go further and further away and disappear into the distance.

Evening Snow at Kanbara (Ando Hiroshige, 1834)

Perspective of Scale:

Perspective of scale refers to the way in which elements of an illustration appear to get bigger or smaller depending on their position in the illustration. This method gives the illusion of three-dimensional space in a two-dimensional image, which can involve the viewer more closely with the illustration. In photography, the perspective of scale can be distorted to make people or objects in a photograph appear smaller than they actually are.



Linear Perspective:

Linear perspective refers to a viewpoint looking straight at the elements in the illustration. Foreshortening is employed in linear perspective, which gives the impression that elements closer to the viewer appear larger and elements further away appear smaller. This is anchored by at least one vanishing point on a horizon line. It is the most neutral viewpoint, and so is used for stable situations in which nothing too major is happening.

Example of linear perspective (from www.netplaces.com, artist unknown)