Maths in music, art and sport · Accessible · Dissertation or artefact

Perspective in Renaissance art: a maths EPQ idea

Why it works as an EPQ

Projection is coordinate geometry; you can test real paintings for vanishing points.

Scope and difficulty

Accessible. Accessible. Two or three paintings, analysed with lines and coordinates.

The maths

Builds on these A Level topics: Coordinate geometry · Vectors.

You would learn:

• Central projection
• Vanishing points
• Projective geometry ideas

Learning maths beyond the course is expected in a maths EPQ, but you must understand and explain everything you use.

One possible plan

1. Derive where a point in space appears on a picture plane.
2. Show why parallel lines meet at vanishing points.
3. Test paintings by extending lines.
4. Judge their accuracy and the artists' methods.

Pitfalls

• Low-resolution images.
• Art history with no mathematics.

Where to start reading

• Search for: perspective projection mathematics picture plane
• Search for: Piero della Francesca perspective treatise

Prefer books, lecture notes, journal articles and official data to a single website, and record every source as you read (how to reference).

Making something? Read the artefact guide first: an artefact still needs a research-based written report.

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