The Metaphysical Foundation of Appearance of Linear Perspective Technique in Renaissance Painting

The appearance of linear perspective technique in Renaissance period, had a deep effect on Western pictorial tradition. After this era the pictorial space of western painting was affected by spatial logic of this technique at least for four centuries. The appearance of this technique, before being a product of genius of a painter or a scientist, was the product of a historical era. It was only in this era that the composition of historical situations led to appearance of this technique and later its universal validity. The problem that this paper examines is the “whatness” of metaphysical foundation of this appearance. In Heidegger’s point of view, metaphysics establishes an age by projecting a specific understanding of “being of beings”. The main question of this paper is that: “on which ground of metaphysics, was this technique (linear perspective) raised?” In this paper firstly, with the use of Panofsky’s pictorial analyses, it is shown that how application of linear perspective technique creates infinite, homogeneous and mathematical space in Renaissance painting, then by explaining the mathematization process of sciences and ontology in that era, the paper would illuminate the appearance and development of linear perspective technique based on modern metaphysics.