Painters frequently talk about “depth” in their paintings which is slightly ironic as paintings in general are completely flat with absolutely no actual depth whatsoever. Of course, what we all mean by depth is really the illusion of depth. Our paintings are optical illusions that try to fool the brain into believing that our two-dimensional flat sheet of paper has a third dimension.
Aerial perspective – also known as atmospheric perspective – refers to a combination of various methods we can use to enforce that suggestion. Aerial perspective is real. Distance has a neutralising effect on all of the main attributes of the subject: detail is reduced, edges become softer, colour saturation is lowered, colour temperature changes, and extremes of tone are suppressed. These effects are created by the uneven scattering of light by dust in the atmosphere. Very often we need to distort or exaggerate them to really make it work to our advantage.
Take the two photos below as an example. In the first, the effects of aerial perspective are very clear in the distant mountains where we are looking at tens of miles of depth; in the second, the distance to the far hills is shorter so the effect is more subtle. In order to create an illusion of depth we must consider the use of aerial perspective in every subject, irrespective of actual depth or the visibility of the effects. Photographers can influence this easily, but as painters we must be much more inventive. Below are five factors to consider that can help you amplify the effects of aerial perspective.
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2021-utgaven av Artists & Illustrators.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Still life IN 3 HOURS
Former BP Portrait Award runner-up FELICIA FORTE guides you through a simple, structured approach to painting alla prima that tackles dark, average and light colours in turn
Movement in composition
Through an analysis of three masterworks, landscape painter and noted author MITCHELL ALBALA shows how you can animate landscape composition with movement
Shane Berkery
The Irish-Japanese artist talks to REBECCA BRADBURY about the innovative concepts and original colour combinations he brings to his figurative oil paintings from his Dublin garden studio
The Working Artist
Something old, something new... Our columnist LAURA BOSWELL has expert advice for balancing fresh ideas with completing half-finished work
Washes AND GLAZES
Art Academy’s ROB PEPPER introduces an in-depth guide to incorporating various techniques into your next masterpiece. Artwork by STAN MILLER, CHRIS ROBINSON and MICHELE ILLING
Hands
LAURA SMITH continues her new four-part series, which encourages you to draw elements of old master paintings, and this month’s focus is on capturing hands
Vincent van Gogh
To celebrate The Courtauld’s forthcoming landmark display of the troubled Dutch master’s self-portraits, STEVE PILL looks at the stories behind 10 of the most dramatic works on display
BRING THE drama
Join international watercolour maestro ALVARO CASTAGNET in London’s West End to paint a dramatic street scene
Serena Rowe
The Scottish painter tells STEVE PILL why time is precious, why emotional responses to colour are useful, and how she finds focus every day with the help of her studio wall
Bill Jacklin
Chatting over Zoom as he recovers from appendicitis, the Royal Academician tells STEVE PILL about classic scrapes in New York and his recent experiments with illustration