perspective

²per·spec·tive

noun \pər-ˈspek-tiv\

Definition of PERSPECTIVE

1

a : the technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye; specifically : representation in a drawing or painting of parallel lines as converging in order to give the illusion of depth and distance b : a picture in perspective

2

a : the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed <places the issues in proper perspective>; also : point of view b : the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance <trying to maintain my perspective>

3

a : a visible scene; especially : one giving a distinctive impression of distance : vista b : a mental view or prospect <to gain a broader perspective on the international scene — Current Biography>

4

: the appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions

— per·spec·tiv·al \pər-ˈspek-ti-vəl, ˌpər-(ˌ)spek-ˈtī-vəl\ adjective

Examples of PERSPECTIVE

1. The elegant economy of the drawing and the wild inventiveness of such pictorial devices as the towering pitcher's mound and the impossible perspective of Snoopy's doghouse keep the repetitiveness, talkiness, and melancholy of the strip a few buoyant inches off the ground, and save it from being fey. —John Updike, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2007
2. Courses offer an international perspective, so even a lesson on the American Revolution will interweave sources from Britain and France with views from the Founding Fathers. —Claudia Wallis et al., Time, 18 Dec. 2006
3. Tipper and I still marvel at everything we saw and the perspective it offered. At a moment when the country was still in the throes of the conflict over Vietnam, it was refreshing to see the best of America. —Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006

Origin of PERSPECTIVE

Middle French, probably modification of Old Italian prospettiva, from prospetto view, prospect, from Latin prospectus — more at prospect

First Known Use: 1563

Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, baroque, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato