Leonardo explains the phenomenon of perspective and the workings of the eye in these selected notebooks. Leonardo uses the idea of a pyramid to which he drives all the lines of perspective and what the eye sees.

Leonardo, like at many other points in his notebooks, states the obvious. But then again, what is obvious now, was not obvious during the Renaissance, and Leonardo putting words to these observations on nature and humans, and Leonardo’s directions on painting were revolutionary in thought. But then again, they are obvious. “Among objects of equal size that which is most remote from the eye will look smallest,” is simply why the stop sign keeps getting larger and larger as the occupant of the automobile proceeds towards it. Leonardo states that when a person has in view similar objects at similar distances, the viewer will first recognize the brightest object.

Einstein would have doubted this assertion no doubt that light passes through air in a straight path. Before making this statement, Leonardo references Euclidean geometry and the assumption that the universe lies in x-y-z space. “…to assert that every ray passing through air of equal density travels in a straight line from its cause to the object or place where it strikes.” This statement still explains light traveling through air in the microspective view, what we see in our day-to-day lives, in computer clusters and classrooms and kitchens.

Leonardo amazed me quite simply with his explanation and depiction of the inner-workings of the eye. I cannot even fathom how many hours he studied the workings of the eye, and more amazing, without any technology. I wonder if he had any idea our eyes initially see everything inverted, and what the man would state on that fact.

I had a hard time picturing a few of the perspective “laws” that Leonardo states. First, his statement that an object farthest away will appear lightest, which I think goes against the thought that the objects farther away are darkened in the shadows. Maybe Leonardo is intending to mean a different aspect, as he states, “Of several bodies of equal size and tone, that which is farthest will appear lightest and smallest.” Second, his statements on the “luminous atmosphere” and the application of blue to a dark object is not all too clear with me. Leonardo maybe is stating the idea that air and atmosphere are blue, in conception and reality, thus applying blue in a painting, will describe a rich atmosphere between the viewer and the object.

Perspective is the foundation to painting, or as Leonardo states, “the bridle and rudder.” It is with perspective that a whole painting follows. Leonardo in all his works has established and maintained perspective. He has introduced spectacular settings, foregrounds, and backgrounds, utilizing perspective to keep the painting real in space. “Painting is based upon perspective.”