Linear perspective, said Leonardo da Vinci, Òis nothing else than seeing a place or objects behind a pane of glass, quite transparent, on the surface of which the objects that lie behind the glass are to be drawn.Ó Among LeonardoÕs notebook drawings, there is a tiny self-portrait (c. 1510) in which he is shown using a squared-off and window-like drawing device (sometimes called ÒAlbertiÕs veilÓ), four variations of which were depicted 15 years later in a famous series of woodcuts by German artist Albrecht D¾rer. This current publication is not only an introduction to perspective in book form but also a kit-like collection of tools to use in exploring for oneself its history, theory, and application. Among those tools are an acetate drawing window (like LeonardoÕs), two ÒdraftsmanÕs netsÓ (like that portrayed in DurerÕs prints), various measuring devices, pads of gridded drawing paper, and a cut-out with which one can easily make a three-dimensional model of Dutch artist M.C. EscherÕs Òimpossible triangleÓ (a well-known illusion that appears to violate certain spatial principles). Experimenting with the devices in this box could result in a deeper understanding of perspective, especially if one were to read at the same time an earlier, richer and far more interesting book on the same subject from the same publisherÕs Eyewitness Art series: Alison Cole, Perspective (Dorling Kindersley, 1992). (Review from Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol 14 No 2, Winter 1998-99)
