Visconti Through A Shoebox Peephole

Rosanne

No one would deny that the painter has nothing to do with things that are not visible. The painter is concerned solely with representing what can be seen.
—Leon Battista Alberti, 1435


In 1435, Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472), provided the first theory of what we now call linear perspective in his book, On Painting. The impact of this new system of measurement in paintings was enormous and most artists painting in Europe after 1435 were aware of the principles Alberti outlined in his book. First, an artist created a "floor" (a ground or stage on which figures and objects would be placed) in a painting and drew a receding grid to act as a guide to the relative scale of all other elements within the picture. Alberti suggests relating the size of the floor squares to a viewer's height. This suggestion is important because it reveals an underlying principal of the Renaissance. The act of painting would no longer be to glorify God, as it had been in Medieval Europe. Painting in the Renaissance related instead, to those people looking at the painting.
Spencer 1970

The interesting thing is that if you make a shoebox peephole viewer in the correct measurements to hold the Visconti hand painting cards with the correct oblong peephole, the flat surface becomes
3D without the usual layering you create with a diorama. For example the Strength card, when viewed
through the peephole, has the Lion as if closer to the eye, and the figure of the man with baton further back, standing forward of the hills and scenery. It is an optical illusion of perspective.
Interestingly it does not appear to happen with a TdM or modern 20th century cards which appear 2D.
The cards when viewed this way, become an intimate diorama to the viewer. The interesting thing to me, was the realization that four cards (perhaps 5) 2,3,4,and 5 become those which one has a dialogue with and you the viewer become interlocutors(persons who take part in a dialogue or conversation), just as in Leon Battista Alberti's writings speak of, perhaps in 'the family' and other pieces. (Alberti apparently used a peephole box to illustrate ideas). I call these the 'throne' cards. In the last of the On Family books Alberti, calls Visconti a Good friend, The Emperor an excellent friend and the Pope The Superior friend.
I imagine Visconti was flattered. All things that I am personally interested in via Tarot come together in Leon Battista Alberti- The Timing, Florence, The Council of Florence, The manuscripts circulating, Astronomy and astrology are but just a few.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Battista_Alberti

There have been discussions here about this Renaissance man, but maybe a deeper one is required.

~Rosanne
 

BrightEye

I'd really like to join in this discussion as it brings together two things that I love, Tarot and art. Alas, I know so little about Alberti!
 

conversus

Have you constructed such a "peephole" ? Could you provide useful advice regarding construction and use?

CED

Happy New Year!!!!!!!
 

Debra

Happy new year :)

Is it a matter of the distance between peephole and card?
 

Rosanne

Hi Friends- nearly happy New Year to you also!
I think I put at risk my friendships with Tarot hehe.
I have been reading nearly everything That Alberti wrote lately. It has been a grind when I cannot find English versions. I am just about through and will put together my Ur-Tarot, when time stands still for more than a minute.
Well for me at least, history should be fun, readable and non boring if possible, so here on this forum is where I come to burble.
I ending up getting a nine year old Lad who is considered a math boff, and I had to use the photo editions of the PMB- so the gilt is almost non apparent. (I will come back to this shortly)
Yes the cardboard boxes have been made, and it is maths to get the distance right- so no edges allowed; the peephole doesn't work round, only oblong- the right mini size according to the card size. A hole in the top of the card would have been handy ( that is funny in itself). I used paperclips.
The very best is the card 1/Magician? The table looks like it is right in your face. Makes sense of the angle at least.
Now the gilding seems to be important. When I used the reproduction Visconti with the gilding- the light from a top lid hole made illuminations very 'stand out'.(I used a candle as light source) The stars on the World card twinkle, The Borromeo rings on the Emperor by his knee stand out, sforza or Strength the tail of the upper ribbon appear to have something written on it, on the death card the hills are illuminated by a sunset... all very interesting. Oh the feathers on the Fool are highlighted. Cannot be my imagination (sigh).
Oh how much I would love to put the real McCoy into a peephole box.
I must add this does not happen to the Cary Yale Visconti except in a few cases. They are different sizes which was such a peckerwood in the process.

In all the writings I have read so far- there seems to be a counterfoil to the personalities in each dialogue. Some sort of ignorant fool. Alberti does not make pronouncements in his writing- the are philosophical discussions, on Art, Virtue, friendship, family, education, chastity, marriage, death, punishment etc etc. He also made up mathematical games. Cyphers as well. A true polymath. Maybe Tarot should also be there :)

~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

Well I guess I started with the finished product- The cards. Somewhat back to front......

A good thing to know is the mirror -Alberti
Well that is Prudence with her mirror hehe.

Alberti thought the mirror, with the peephole was a great tool for judging perspective, whereas others thought it was great for construction of a sculpture or panting.
Here is an example.
http://www.precinemahistory.net/images/brunelleschi_peepshow.jpg
..and here
http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/data/13030/fr/ft438nb2fr/figures/ft438nb2fr_00018.jpg
Giotto painted this way apparently.
I check my colour planning for quilting in a mirror, in the same way.


http://artisphere.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Fig-1.jpg
http://www.transcri.be/petites/Alberti.gif
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vt4pg4xIXxE/T0_f4FI7vdI/AAAAAAAAAXM/JnnC1xlX6Dk/s1600/Alberti.jpg

I may have given the wrong impression with Games- they were mathematical questions, but Alberti did write on Chess. Although many of his works were published in print much later- his manuscripts were readily available at the time.
~Rosanne
 

Sherryl

Yes the cardboard boxes have been made, and it is maths to get the distance right- so no edges allowed; the peephole doesn't work round, only oblong- the right mini size according to the card size. A hole in the top of the card would have been handy ( that is funny in itself). I used paperclips.

Roseanne, This is totally fascinating. Can you tell us what distance you used, and what size peephole and for which version of the deck?

The original cards had holes at the top. Could it have been for mounting in a box? I find it hard to believe that someone tacked all 78 cards to a wall, as has been suggested. Do you get the 3-D effect with the pips or court cards?
 

conversus

Rosanne:

On another forum to which i belong, the underlying principle is this : if there are no photographs, what ever claim you have just made, however detailed, however delicious, just didn't happen. If this can be applied to men in kilts, i cannot see why it cannot also pertain to Visconti in shoe boxes.

Could you post images of your shoebox (s) so that we can understand the engine and the process. Also which of the Visconti reproductions are optimal?

Sorry to be cheeky!

CED
 

Chimera Dust

I'd to love see pictures of the shoebox as well, it sounds awesome and I'd love to try it myself but I'm not 100% sure how the finished thing is supposed to look.

This is such a great idea, I'm off to try it as soon as I can. :D
 

Rosanne

On another forum to which i belong, the underlying principle is this : if there are no photographs, what ever claim you have just made, however detailed, however delicious, just didn't happen. If this can be applied to men in kilts, i cannot see why it cannot also pertain to Visconti in shoe boxes.
There is a star by your name, there is not one by mine.
So no pictures Thomas.....but you can make your own wounds.
I used, to repeat again -The Pierpont Morgan photo reproduction, produced by AGMuller.
It matches the size in Kaplan Vol.1 page 9 170x85m.m.
Get some card and make a shoebox (Doc martins size 13 men could do it)
If like me you are not good at math, attach a piece of cotton to four corners of a card and extend the 4 strands until they meet at the center- then measure the string and that is the length of the box. My shoebox was about 38 cm long and 17 cm hign/deep.
Look on the web at shoebox theatre if my instructions are not clear. Put the light hole on the bottom- not the top as candle light beams upwards.
Then as you are member here post the picture.
Different size cards need different size boxes.

Nobody doubts what is beneath a kilt- does one really need a picture?
Strange forum if that needs a picture. Unfortunately the forum here is limited.
There is a proverb: That which proves too much- proves nothing
Make the box yourself, do the math and decide for yourself if it has merit.
~Rosanne