Blog Post Draft: Perspective in Art: More Than Just Angles and Lines

Introduction: Why Perspective Matters

I woke up this morning thinking about perspective. As a painter, when something feels “off” in one of my paintings, the issue often lies in the drawing—most likely with the perspective. Capturing perspective correctly can be tricky, and it’s the part of drawing and painting I find most challenging.

Last weekend, I attended a figure drawing session at my local Arts Center. Figurative work is not something I do often, so the experience stretched me as an artist. Positioned to the side of the model, nearly every pose was a variation of a profile, forcing me to carefully consider how the body’s lines aligned with my viewing angle.

But this isn’t a “how-to” on perspective. Instead, it’s a reflection on how perspective shapes both the technical and storytelling aspects of art.

Perspective Beyond Technique

Perspective isn’t only about vanishing points and proportions—it’s about storytelling. The viewpoint an artist chooses deeply influences the way a painting feels and how the viewer experiences it.

I want to share two examples from well-known artists whose work demonstrates how perspective changes not only composition but also the story itself.

Camille Pissarro: A Higher Viewpoint

Camille Pissarro, often considered the “father” of neo-impressionism, influenced Cézanne, Seurat, Gauguin, and Van Gogh. Like many artists, he painted what was around him. But later in life, chronic eye infections made it difficult for him to work outdoors.

Instead, Pissarro painted from hotel windows, giving him an elevated view of the city streets below. This shift in perspective dramatically changed his compositions—creating scenes that feel very different from his earlier, ground-level works.

From the street, he was a participant, a man among the crowd. From above, he became the observer, offering a broader, more detached view of city life.

Faith Ringgold: Seeing Through a Child’s Eyes

American artist and illustrator Faith Ringgold provides another striking example. As both a teacher and illustrator of children’s books, she often framed her work from a child’s eye level.

By lowering her perspective, Ringgold invited her audience—children—into the narrative in a magical and authentic way. She painted what a child might actually see, and in doing so, she gave young viewers a world that felt truly theirs.

At the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, her perspective was honored in a unique way: the team hung her artwork lower than standard adult eye level, ensuring that children saw the exhibit as it was meant to be seen.

The Story Perspective Tells

These two examples show how perspective isn’t only technical—it’s narrative.

• Pissarro’s hotel views told stories of observation, distance, and city life seen from above.

• Ringgold’s child’s-eye illustrations told stories of wonder, belonging, and seeing the world through younger eyes.

Both remind us that the artist’s chosen perspective is a storytelling tool as much as a compositional one.

My Own Perspective in Painting

I often paint from my literal point of view—what I see in front of me. But as I reflect on perspective more deeply, I realize it can be an intentional tool to shape the story I’m trying to tell.

When choosing a perspective, I now ask myself:

• What does this angle make the viewer feel?

• Does this perspective make the story more intimate, or more distant?

• Am I the participant or the observer?

Perspective isn’t just lines and proportions—it’s emotion, story, and meaning.

Conclusion

Whether elevated like Pissarro, grounded like his earlier works, or lowered to a child’s eye level like Ringgold, perspective has the power to transform how art is experienced.

Next time you create, pause and ask: What story does this perspective tell?