`` Fra Angelico s San Marco Altarpiece And The Metaphors...

In Barnaby Nygren’s article, Fra Angelico s San Marco Altarpiece and the Metaphors of Perspective, the rediscovery of linear perspectives and how it altered the planar space for those artist who worked in two-dimensions was methodically analyzed. Reviewing historical data and art works, Nygren revealed that artwork created prior to the 15th century was typically a religious endeavor designed to prompt devout worship through visual recollection of spiritual events. In essence, it was religious short-hand designed to trigger public recognition from mostly illiterate, but devote, religious viewers. Religious paintings were more symbolic. As such, these renditions were generally flat and unrealistic. This is due, largely in part, to the era in which the paintings were produced. Because the traditional style that had been used since the Egyptian and Byzantine periods lacked realism, not much thought was given to the use of linear perspective to create more realistic works. In fact, it wasn’t until the 15th century that realism even became valued. By the 15th century, people began to prize truth, realism, and intellect. Linear perspective gave depth through the use of spatial illusion. It created a realism in paintings that was appreciated by the growing intellect of the people. With the use of linear perspective, two-dimensional artist could merge a fictitious world, the art piece, into the reality of the physical world. Art in itself became an illusion of reality with the use