Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527 – c. 1607) was a Renaissance architect from the Netherlands, best known for his printed works. In 1604, he published his most renowned tome, which offers a rich visual exploration of the possibilities of linear perspective in the depiction of architectural space, drawing inspiration from Serlio’s Seven Books of Architecture. The book, titled simply Perspective, is richly illustrated with various architectural scenes that both demonstrate the functioning of perspective in various spatial configurations and highlight the visual grids organising the images, including sight lines and vanishing points. The early plates depict abstract spatial arrangements, and as the pages progress, they gradually increase in complexity and figuration, eventually presenting a wide range of interior and exterior scenes. In some plates, the layering of architectural volumes, staircases, openings, and occasional human figures within geometric patterns gives rise to involuntarily surreal compositions. The opening pages include a description of each plate.
Leave a Reply