On the Art of Perspective - The Transformation of Vision in the Italian Quattrocento

The course examines the transformation of pictorial space in the 15th century – from the spatial conventions of medieval painting to the increasingly systematic construction of three-dimensional spaces in the Renaissance. In doing so, it challenges the notion of linear progress towards a superior form of representation. Rather than viewing linear perspective as a natural or necessary ‘evolution’ in the history of art, we regard it as a historically specific way of organising vision. Central to this is the question of how perspective transformed the understanding of art, artistic practice, the status of painting and the visual culture of early modern Europe. (Semester: 1.5h/week, 15 weeks)