Toushi-zu (perspective projection)

A drawing&sbquo of an object or structure&sbquo that allows visual perception of perspective&sbquo just as seen with the naked eye. In art&sbquo its historical progress can be traced from its definition as a drawing style that uses perspective. The root of perspective is a Latin word&sbquo perspicere (see clearly) which was synonymous with optics in medieval Europe&sbquo and applied to every expressive method to provide spatial perception through two-dimensional figurative expressions such as paintings and relief engraving. Grasping the historical outline of perspective projection from the Western perspective method&sbquo pursuit of its expression was made in diverse fields from painting and architecture to mathematics&sbquo dynamics and even astronomy. In the Oriental perspective method&sbquo there was a compositional theory in wash landscape painting called san-en (three perspectives). Three compositional formats called ko-en (high perspective)&sbquo shin-en (deep perspective) and hei-en (flat perspective) were recognized for expressing a sense of depth or perspective. This was a compositional method rather than a perspective method. This difference between the West and the East clearly shows the great difference in spatial perception for observing and depicting nature. Perspective projection is based on a mutual relationship between the viewpoint&sbquo object and the image plane&sbquo and the means to consider them as self (viewpoint)&sbquo nature (object) and window (image plane). Today&sbquo however&sbquo it is more necessary to pursue new methods to establish viewpoints and spatial perception&sbquo in the virtual world on the computer screen&sbquo and to visualize the world of nano-technology.

Copyright © 2009 Kazuo KAWASAKI All rights reserved.