Pictorial Space

Pictorial Space is the idea that a two-dimensional image can give the illusion of three dimensional space (depth).

The sense of space can be manipulated by a wide array of techniques involving line, shape, color, scale, or  proximity.


 Line

In general, lines that are strictly vertical or horizontal will flatten pictorial space and appear static.  Lines that move on diagonals tend to imply space and movment.

In this photo by Andreas Gurskey, the broad horizontal and vertical lines flatten out the space of the image, while on the left and right sides diagonal lines imply a space that recedes from the viewer. We’ll come back to this later when we talk about linear perspective.

Andreas Gursky, Times Square, 1997

Kerry James Marshall. Dog Walker, 2018

Value

A broad range of values can be used to emphasize pictorial depth.

For example: Cezanne’s painting of a bather uses a limited color palette and limited values in order to purposefully flatten the pictorial space.  Elmer Bischoff’s Girl With Towel uses a similar composition, but a greater range of color and contrasting values to make a deeper pictorial space in both the figure and the ground. Henry Taylor takes it even one step further with the sharp contrast and saturated colors.

Paul Cezanne. Bather. 1885

Paul Cezanne. Bather. 1885

Elmer Bischoff. Girl With Towel. 1960.

Elmer Bischoff. Girl With Towel. 1960.

Henry Taylor. Untitled, 2020

Images with limited values for a ground will give the impression of a ‘flat’ or shallow space.

Han Gan, Night Shining White. 750

Images with a wide range of values for a ground will give the impression of a deeper space.

Géricault, Derby of Epsom. 1821

Color

In general (though not always), cool colors appear to recede in space, while warm colors push forward. Color can be used to create a sense of space and also to purposefully flatten it.  Saturated colors tend to pull forward, and unsaturated color tend to recede.

Malcolm Morley. On Deck. 1966

Malcolm Morley. On Deck. 1966.

Have a look at this painting by Joan Miro.
Notice how he uses the push and pull of warm/cool & washed out grays vs. deep reds to mess with our sense of the picture’s space.

Joan Miro. Portait of a Man in a Late nineteenth Century Frame. 1950.

Joan Miro. Portait of a Man in a Late nineteenth Century Frame. 1950.

Below is a contemporary abstraction by Carrie Moyer that uses the same idea of warm vs. cool, but for very different effect.

Carrie Moyer. In a Cool Blaze 2015.

Carrie Moyer. In a Cool Blaze 2015.

Shape

Overlapping shapes and changes in size (scale) can also create the illusion of space

Qu Ding. 1050

Qu Ding. 1050

Hiroshige. Cranes

Utagawa Hiroshige. View of Three Small Villages with Cranes. 1857

Check out the way that Bridget Riley creates the illusion of space & movement in the image below. It’s all about the scale and proximity of the rectangles as they appear to recede in space.

Bridget Riley. Movement in Squares 1961. Tempera on Board 122 x 122 cm. This one adds diagonals, but most of the space is created by the varying of scale and placement of the shapes.

Horizon

The introduction of a change of value or line along a horizontal can often give the impression of a horizon – instantly implying space.

Zhao Mengfu. 1310.

Zhao Mengfu. 1310.

Mark Rothko. Untitled (black on grey). 1970

Mark Rothko. Untitled (black on grey). 1970

Linear Perspective

The idea of a horizon becomes essential to systems that consciously create an artificial sense of perspective.

Read about linear perspective here.

Anselm Kiefer ‘Der Gordische Knoten’ 2019

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