The weight of pictorial space

Abstract

This thesis examines the current theories and research of picture perception in relation to the development of a photographic aesthetic. It attempts to show that certain properties of the photographic image determine the way that it is perceived, and in turn that those properties have influenced the way that photography has been used as an expressive medium. The properties examined are those which allow for the depiction of space, namely those of linear perspective, their influence being the measure of perceptual weight that pictorial space has exerted on photographic picturemakers. Research results are used to propose a new understanding of abstraction/representation in photography. Correlations are drawn between historical trends in photographic art and present-day perception theory.