Author Question: Discuss the use of lines, both actual and implied, to direct the viewers' eyes and to create focal ... (Read 87 times)

luvbio · **on:** Jun 23, 2018

Discuss the use of lines, both actual and implied, to direct the viewers' eyes and to create focal points in the following two works by Leonardo da Vinci: The Last Supper and The Virgin and St. Anne with the Christ Child and John the Baptist.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Consider Kensett''s Lake George and Shen Zhou's Autumn Colors among Streams and Mountains. Discuss each artist's use of atmospheric perspective to create the illusion of depth. How does the sense of space conveyed in each work differ?

What will be an ideal response?

isabelt_18 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Focal points draw the viewer into the image, and lines, actual and implied, move the eye around the composition. The Last Supper uses actual and implied lines to create a linear perspective that emphasizes the focal point. The Virgin and St. Anne uses implied lines in the form of a triangle to contain the composition in addition to a circular motif of the heads.

Answer to Question 2

Both paintings suggest receding landscape through atmospheric perspective. Kensett uses receding color values to suggest deep space, while Gongwang uses a monochromatic value change.