ONEPOINT LINEAR PERSPECTIVE

A mathematical method thought to have been devised byFilippo Brunelleschiand used to render convincing three-dimensional spaces on two-dimensional surfaces. In this method, all orthogonal lines converge at a single vanishing point placed on the horizon line. According to Antonio Manetti, Brunelleschi's biographer, the architect demonstrated the method by using it to paint theBaptistery of Florence. He drilled a hole in the center of his composition so the real building could be seen through it. Placing a mirror in front of the viewer who peeked through the peephole to reflect his painting and then removing it to reveal the Baptistery, Brunelleschi was able to prove that his rendering was indistinguishable from the actual building. The first to introduce one-point linear perspective to painting wasMasaccioin works such as theHoly Trinity(1427) atSanta Maria Novella, Florence.Donatellowas the first to use it inreliefsculpture, with the panels he executed for the altar of San Antonio, Padua (1444-1449), serving as some of his best examples. Until 1435, the method was only spread by word of mouth. In that yearLeon Battista Alberti's treatise on painting, which includes discussion on one-point linear perspective, was published, allowing for its wider dissemination.