Perspective

(pür-spěk'tiv.) [From L. perspectus, a viewing. ] (Opt.) That branch of the science which teaches the art of representing objects on a plane surface as they appear under the peculiarities incident to distance and height. Consequently, it is a science of the first importance to the painter. In a practical sense, perspective is the art of drawing, according to the principles of geometry, the true representations of real objects; and is divided into lin cal perspective, which relates to the position, form, magnitude, ., of the several lines or contours of objects, and aërial perspective, which has principally a reference to the coloring and shading of distant objects. [s. 700]