Aerial Perspective.
The term aerial perspectiverefers to the manner in which tones and colors of objects are affected
by the atmosphere as they recede spatially. Because of humidity and pollution in the air, the tone
(lightness or darkness), or intensity of color of an object, lightens as the object recedes into the
distance.Looking once again at the study after
Corot, you can see how faint the gray
tones of the mountains are in the far
distance. The same would hold true for
color. If an apple were hanging on a
tree right in front of you, it would be a
much lighter shade of red than if it were
300 feet in the distance. The apple
would be a even lighter red if the level
of humidity in the air suddenly
increased or the apple was placed far-
ther in the distance. The next time
you’re in a mountainous landscape with
a vast panoramic view, notice how light
(and blue or violet) the mountains are
far in the distance; they’re often just a
shade darker than the sky. An experi-
enced artist can convey the precise
quality of atmosphere present on a par-
ticular day, including a feeling for tem-
perature and humidity level, based on
the sensitive observation and careful
rendering of the tonal relationships
present in the landscape.
It is said that the artist Claude Monet
had such acute vision that he could tell
the precise time of day—within a few
minutes—based on the quality of light
that he saw on a wall outside his studio
window. He is quoted as saying, “I’m
only an eye, but what an eye!”
Study after Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s
The Augustan Bridge at Narni,by Dean Fisher