What is the reverse perspective in icon painting is known to every person who is at least a little connected with art. But how long has such a direction appeared? It turns out that the ancient Greeks were constantly working on the study of images on a two-dimensional plane and their interaction. Therefore, we can conclude that knowledge, or at least the ability to use reverse perspective techniques in icon painting, has existed for a very long time.
Definition of a concept
The reverse perspective in icon painting is a method in painting, in which objects far from the viewer are portrayed as larger. Thus, the lines in the picture depicted in the opposite perspective converge not on the horizon, but "inside" the viewer. The reverse perspective was used in Byzantine and Old Russian icon painting. It is also found in Western European medieval art.
The reverse perspective in icon painting, as mentioned above, has existed for a very long time. But at the same time, references to the direct method of creating images also appeared in ancient times. That is why between these two systems there is a constant competition, rivalry. The artist chooses the way to create the icon, which is more suitable for him.
Two opinions on the reverse perspective in icon painting
Florensky Pavel, a famous priest of the 20th century, believed that the use of such a system led to the viewer forgetting that he was standing in front of a plane. A window of perspective lured a person into another world.
Russian icon painter Leonid Uspensky believed that the reverse perspective in icon painting is a means to preserve the plane. Therefore, the viewer does not forget for a second that he is standing in front of a plane on which there is an image.
Now that we have learned two opposing opinions, a reasonable question immediately arises: “Is it necessary that the plane disappears or is it still preserved?”
Illusion or not?
Before solving the problem, it is necessary to understand whether there is such a viewer who cannot determine that he is facing an image, a picture. Is there a person who, instead of a canvas or a mural, really sees a window into another world?
The spectator’s adaptability to oblivion of objective reality is too overestimated; nevertheless, in any case, he knows that this is a plane.
Well, one more thing worth paying attention to: a direct perspective also builds a certain world. She is also called to create a window into another space.
That is, the task of the artist in any system is to introduce the viewer into another world or at least get as close to this effect as possible.
Parable mention
Leonid Uspensky finds certain motives for the emergence of a reverse perspective, namely he speaks of a divine basis. In doing so, he refers to the Gospel of Matthew, 7th chapter 14 verse:
Because the gates are narrow and the path leading to life is narrow, and few find them.
Most likely, each person remembers the parable of the needle eye. The fact that it’s hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And it’s much easier to drag a camel through the eye of a needle. That is, in this story, an honest narrow path is narrated. This is the disclosure of the type of perspective used in icon painting.
Sense of distortion
Leonid Uspensky says that the construction of architectural motifs in painting is directly intended to pacify the proud mind with confusion, illogicality.
Architectural motifs seem to laugh at a person striving for a logical order of things. Icon painters do not offer any order, as if to say: "Try to figure out what is important in life." So Ouspensky considers and presents the basics of the emergence of a reverse perspective.
Interesting fact
Irina Konstantinovna Yazykova, an art critic, studies a lot and talks about the icon. She calls the reverse way of creating images the prospect of communication. Many priests agree with her. Indeed, this name reflects the essence of the genre much more accurately. This is due to the fact that all the rays go from the middle and converge to the viewer.
Icons
Having received a sufficient amount of theory, I would like to test the reality of the reverse perspective in practice. For starters, you can see one of the great works.
As is already known, it is necessary that parallel lines of the boundaries of objects converge to the viewer. The "Sinai Spas" icon (pictured above) was selected for review. A closer look reveals that the gospel has three lines that go in depth and do not connect at one point, this is contrary to the advanced system. If you take a few more icons, you can find that there is almost no exact intersection anywhere.
That is, either the artists did not know that there are different types of perspectives in icon painting, or did not set such a task for themselves that all the lines converge at one point and create harmony.
Icon "Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary"
Parallel lines are a perspective view. And the correct geometric image should be directly related to the perspective. That is, parallels must be present in the icons so that the image is reverse or direct. Consider another example.
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a good example. It cannot be said that this painting was created by an inept artist, it is a wonderful icon painter. Despite this, the image also lacks a reverse perspective in its exact sense. Someone will think that since there is no one option, then there must be a direct system. But no, she also cannot be found on the icon.
Looking at the foot of objects, one can see axonometry. If you look at the Virgin Mary herself, parallels are striking again. But there is no single point of intersection. Why it happens? There are two opinions:
- The image is built from a high point of view.
- Conversely, the drawing is built from a low point of view.
It would seem that two completely opposite opinions were combined in one canvas. This once again proves that the artists did not focus on various types of perspectives in icon painting.
System integration
Axonometric projection shows wonderful images of cities. They are written immediately with all the walls, with buildings and even with a church in the center with five domes. And if a person looks closer at the image of the city and decides to analyze what kinds of perspectives of icon painting are there, he will find all the systems that you can imagine.
Here there is a perspective view, and direct and reverse perspective. To make sure, you need to take any image of cities in medieval art. Then with a pencil and a ruler try to draw all the lines and see how the perspective is built there.
Reverse facial features
In an excerpt from the work of Pavel Florensky, it is noted that the body bounded by curved surfaces is transmitted in such angles that are excluded by the rules of a perspective image.
The face should be portrayed with the temples and ears tucked forward, and it is as if spread out on a plane. That is, the icons should be with the nose planes turned to the viewer and other parts of the face that are hidden in real life.
He writes that when a person is shown with a reverse perspective, for example, with a slight turn, the far plane of the nose turns toward the viewer, while the nearest one turns away from him. That is how Pavel Florensky describes the reverse perspective.
The only image that matches this description is the "Mask of Agamemnon." Here you can see the expanded face and ears, everything is done according to the canon. But this is a mask that is flattened by time, not a planned work.
There are other monuments that fit this description. For example, the work of Pablo Picasso. Moreover, Picasso deliberately looked for ways to depict different points of view and object planes as simple as possible. That is, he tried to place three-dimensional space in two-dimensional.
And in this Picasso was very successful. For example, his searches for the image of a bull. In the given figure there are many of them, it can be seen that he was in search of the perfect shape to combine the frontal and lateral planes. The picture shows that the samples are numbered and closer to 10–11, Picasso has some ideas on how to connect different points of view.
The bottom line is that if you assume that there is a certain object, such as a cube, and a linear perspective, then its points should converge all in the horizon. And if an artist uses such a painting technique, then the first thing that confuses him is a misunderstanding of where the horizon is.
Of course, every icon painter knows what perspective is and how to build it. But the center lines are changing. Because the horizon is that plane that passes through the point of view. If an artist or viewer changes his perception, then the line changes. And for inclined planes, the horizon line also changes for different heights.