Perspective in High Renaissance Paintings and Artwork  -  Chad Rutherford

The Tower of Babel, a 745 x 600 cm oil on panel painting, painted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder circa 1561. This painting of The Tower of Babel is awe inspiring with the perspective and crisp lines painted throughout. It draws the viewers attention to the center of the painting to the crisp details and intended focal point of the painting. It make the painting "pop" off the page, and makes it seem more life-like.

Melancholy a 97 x 51cm oil on panel painting, painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1532. This painting is playful with the three children trying to get the ball through the hoop. The painter's forced perspective and crisp lines forces the viewer to focus on the children as the focal point of the painting. Off to the side you have the mother, who seems to be off in thought whom is splitting more wood, more than likely to make more toys for the children to play with. But the fact that the mother is off to the side from the painter's perspective, suggests she isn't the main focus of the painting.

The Madonna in the Church, a 14 x 31cm oil on oak wood painting, painted by Jan van Eyck around 1438. The painter's perspective with this painting naturally draws the viewer deeper into the church with his clean lines and dramatic focal points but in fact the main focus of this painting is The Madonna in the foreground. The arches and lines drawn throughout the church are life like in scale and appearance and the painter has done a great job at recreating the likeness of the Church.

Venus with the Organ Player, a 210 x 115cm oil on canvas painting, painted by Titian around 1550. This painting draws the viewers attention to Venus and his organ player at first but the painter also creates a "world beyond" with the perspective of the land beyond in the painting. The forced perspective also draws the viewers attention out into the open land beyond the immediate scene and the lines and scenery reinforce what the painter is trying to accomplish.

Venus and Vulcan, a 34.33 x 27.19 in. oil on paper on canvas painting, painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Italian circa 1765. The perspective used in this painting tells a story of the gods Venus and Vulcan and their love for their son Aenas. The perspective forces the viewers to focus on the scene in the foreground. The smaller size of the men in the background indicates they aren't as important to the painting as the gods and their son. The lines throughout are crisp and clean and suggest the focus is on the center of the painting.

The Annunciation, a 341 x 902cm oil on canvas transferred from panel painting, painted by Jan van Eyck circa 1434-1436. This painting is full of crisp clean lines and the perspective from the painter draws the viewers attetnion to the center of the painting where the archangel St. Luke sits. In this painting the painter goes to great lengths to detail the stone and the cloth and make them all seem life like. The painter truly uses the depths and lines he set up with perspective to define a marvelous painting.

Classical Seaport at Sunset, a 991 x 743cm oil on canvas painting, painted by Claude in the 17th or 18th century. This painting truly is a work of art, the painter masterfully uses clean lines and focal points to draw the viewer's attention to the far off lands at the end of the horizon. The perspective used here suggests that the sea goes on and on, leaving the viewer wondering what's on the other side. The light colors indicate a happy mood within the painting and the colors used to represent the sunset are almost life like in representation.

The Campo Vaccino, Rome, a 1061 x 781cm oil on canvas painting, painted by Claude in the 1640's. This painting is a great work of art. The painter using the lines and perspectives draw the viewers attention deep within the city of Rome. The perspective takes you into the city past all of the familiar buildings of that era and if you look close enough, you can see the Colosseum in the background. This painter used perfect colors and shades to represent the life like individuals he painted and the colors of the city itself makes this picture seem so realistic, you can almost picture yourself standing in this exact spot.

The battle of Marciano in Val di Chiana, a 1300 x 760cm painting, painted by Giorgio Vasari in 1570 - 1571. This painting is a grim representation of the battle that took place in the valley of Chiana. The forced perspective draws the viewer into the battlefield and the bold colors used represent the many men and soldiers who fought in the battle. The land that was fought on was monumental in size and the painter recreated the battle vividly with the use of the bright colors and different shades and hues. The deep dark colors in the sky suggest a emotional theme to the painting.

The Banquet of Cleopatra, a 3570 x 2503cm oil on canvas painting, painted by Giambattista Tiepolo in 1743-1744. This painting uses the sharp lines of forced perspective to draw the viewers into the banquet and feel like they were there. The focal point of the painting is in the center of the great room with focus on the Romans and the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. The painter used variations in colors to distinguish between Romans and Egyptians. The light bright colors suggest a happy mood for the painting. The painter wanted to remind the viewers of the peaceful relationship between the Roman consul and the Egyptians.