The Greeks inherited the Egyptian representation of perspective and greatly improved on it. However, much of the Greek paintings were destroyed over time, thus the greatest remaining evidence of Greek innovation lies in preserved ceramic vases and the few written testaments of Greek theorists still existent.
In the earliest vase drawings, the figures were very abstract and symbolic, similar to the Egyptian style. As vase drawings evolved, the floor was represented by a single line and in later drawings the figures were positioned on different levels. Sometimes the technique of foreshortening was employed, as seen in the figures below.
From an Attic amphora of the geometric period, late VIII century B. C.
From an Attic red-figured cup by Douris, about 470 B. C.
Above: From an Attic red-figured mixing bowl by Polion, about 420 B. C.
Below: Two scenes from an Attic oil jug by the Eretria Painter, about 420 B. C.
I agree with William M. Ivin's, Jr. that this arrangement of figures has its origins in the "tactile-muscular" intuition. For example, consider a chessboard where, if one closes her eyes, the only way of perception is by touch, which means that all the chess pieces are perceived as equal-sized and-leveled, and disjointed. Small children tend to draw in a similar space. It also seems natural that our ancestors studied the effects of the appearance of an object before searching for rules that govern its visual image.
However, I made all these conclusions without having had considered the Greek paintings themselves--it is difficult to assess the influence Egyptian art had on Greek painting, since most of the Greek paintings have been destroyed.
Wall painting from Pompeii
One good, intact example of Greek painting is the above wall painting of Pompeii, a Hellenistic colony in Southern Italy. This painting is quite sophisticated in that it shows an axis of symmetry about a central vertical axis. The weight of the painting also lies in the center-- two opposing depth lines form the shape of the letter v. However, even though this symmetry does create a compelling sense of depth, it does not obey the rules of modern perspective-- all my research demonstrates that no Greek or Roman painting exists where the correct theory of geometrical perspective has been fully applied .
Go on to next section: Part 3: Search for the origin of linear perspective through written testimonies
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