I'm not quite sure, David, how you're using the words 'pictorial space' and 'perspective'. For example, would you consider the following paintings to have either one ?:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u_KW4nuKg9k/SJUYWOod4CI/AAAAAAAAFl0/ufmVvaXzvyY/s16 00-h/o2.jpg (the artist is Chen Wu, and the painting is dated 1832) http://www.corbettvsdempsey.com/artists/barazani/works/gallery/large/valley_f og.jpg (the artist is Morris Barazani, the date is 1972) ************ Much of drawing and painting technique has to do with giving the viewer a feeling of pictorial space which perspective is a part. German psychologists coined a term, "gestalt", which refers in part to our ability to discern figures or form from the background. The ability to, for example, to discern visually an apple on a tree from the background in order to pick it. We have evolved a host of ways to use vision to navigate in space and to manipulate objects. Artists in the past have learned to exploit these things in order create their compositions. Linear and atmospheric perspective, overlapping shapes, and groupings of related colors have all been used to create pictorial space. I consider them almost truths because they are aspects of human psychology. There is variation in human brains, however. Some people are color blind, for example. The problem with terms like "visual literacy" and "formalist credentials" may be chalked up to the fact that the artworld, like a lot of other fields, has developed its own esoteric language which doesn't have a lot of meaning to anyone who hasn't been through art school. We should be conscious of that. ____________________________________________________________ Experience true Southern hospitality. Click now for great vacation packages to Atlanta! http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/fc/PnY6rc2c9erO5r2pK36kal5T5fNnZK uZDkc2ryOaCM9IkWxcQpMsU/
