India

In Ancient India, from around the 6th–5th C. BC, Indian people developed theories on light. According to the Samkhya school, light is one of the five fundamental “subtle” elements (tanmatra) out of which emerge the gross elements. It followed that they developed a strcutured approach to perspective arts like drawing, painting and sculpture.

Graphical Perspective

Graphical perspective in ancient India was characterised by a unique approach that prioritised spiritual, emotional, and narrative depth over the strict linear, geometric perspective developed in the Western Renaissance. Instead of relying on the single, fixed central vanishing point (of one-point linear perspective) to create a 3-D illusion, Indian art traditionally utilised “vertical perspective,” hierarchical scaling, and conceptual, symbolic representations to organise space.

Aspects of graphical perspective in ancient India

Vertical Perspective and Hierarchy: In early Indian art (e.g., cave paintings at Ajanta), perspective was often rendered vertically, with figures or objects higher up on the picture plane understood to be farther away. Furthermore, the size of figures was often determined by their spiritual or social significance rather than their distance from the viewer.
Symbolic and Narrative Focus: Indian aesthetics prioritised rasa (emotional essence) and bhava (mood). Artists avoided strict linear or convergent perspective to ensure the narrative or divine, symbolic meaning was not lost, for instance, by reducing the size of a deity.
Three-Quarter View: In traditional Indian painting and manuscript illustration, figures were often shown in three-quarter view.
Architectural Layouts and Geometry: Architecture was highly geometric, employing grid- based, and symmetrical planning, often using a cosmic diagram to organise depicted space.
“Planar” Approach: Instead of a single viewpoint, space was often presented in distinct planes (foreground, middle, background), allowing for a narrative to unfold across the scene.