“Looking at Art” by Anne Elizabeth Chase

Artistic perspective all over the world differs, and thus the styles used to portray the same subject are most likely going to be as different as their respective principles. Simply put, a cat drawn by an American will be different than the very same cat drawn by a German. For the chapters assigned, Chase compares and contrasts certain techniques and types of art globally.

Chapter 3:

In this particular chapter, Chase focuses on the cultural purposes of a landscape, throughout the world, and through the ages.

Some countries, such as the Greeks did not find much use for landscapes other than a setting for the subject; a landscape in Greek art was seldom a subject itself, if at all. Other cultures seemed to give landscapes a more important role. Conquering Romans and English heirs used landscapes as a way to show off their wealth. Meanwhile, the Chinese and the medieval folk saw landscapes as a connection from man to the divine.

Chase explores the methods used for the intents of the artist that will, for the most part, conform to the societal expectations at the time and place.

According to Chase, Pieter Bruegel’s view on landscape is that, “Man with his myriad activities was merely an incident in a great and beautiful world where his daily routine, his joys and griefs, were relatively unimportant.” (Chase 23, 25). Chase maintains, “Nowhere does Bruegel make one feel this more than in his “Death of Saul” (Figure 22). The armies of Israel are losing the battle to dense hordes of Philistines. Saul and his son and armor-bearer have fled to a cliff-top where, seeing defeat and capture inevitable, father and son have killed themselves. The tragedy is told by tiny figures in the foreground, not centered as one would expect, but far to the left. Beyond the struggle spreads a serene green valley through which a river winds towards a distant city.” (Chase 25).

This kind indepth analysis of Bruegel’s “Death of Saul” is something Chase makes consistently with other pieces of art referenced in this chapter, and as we would find it, in the following chapter.

Chapter 4:

In this chapter, Chase goes into the technique of perspective itself. Here, Chase makes the artist out to be an amateur photographer, in terms of having the right poses or the right angle or the right lighting all at once.

For a long time, artists have had a difficult time trying to replicate the real life perspective that they have, since they aren’t afforded the luxury of having the perfect subject. Some artists, especially those in the ancient times, did not really care much for accuracy of depth because they would rather paint as they know the object to be, not as it seems. But as time passed, more and more artists began to seek the scientific accuracy of perspective and depth.

Attaining the three dimensions we are accustomed to today was not an easy road. At first, the Greeks did foreshortening of some limbs correctly, but the final result was a bit awkward. Next, the Romans used shadows, with shading, to indicate depth.

Finally, we reach vanishing points. All lines must lead to the vanishing point. If there are multiple vanishing points, then only some lines lead to a single point, not necessarily all the points.

There have been some tricks with distortion that would also indicate depth.

Eastern art uses parallel lines instead of vanishing points, with a method called the Oriental isometric scheme. In the Western world, this is mainly used for architectural purposes, because it is easier to see the interior and exterior of buildings.