Possible Bodies

Artist Drawing a Nude with Perspective Device

Item number: 003
Item title: Artist Drawing a Nude with Perspective Device
Author(s) of the item: Albrecht Duerer
Year in which the item emerged culturally or was produced industrially: 1525
Entry of the item into the inventory: 2015

One-eyed-men drawing women, and worlds.

In 1525, Albert Dürer produced a descriptive drawing of him using the Perspective Device, a cultural attempt emerged in the times of settling perspective as a norm for representation; a machine operating under the claims of objectivity and fidelity:

The techno-ecology that unfolds through this drawing, and the drawing machine within it, is one of clear agential differentiation. What is recognized as a device in the picture is the gridded frame. Not the pencil, nor the paper sheet or the artists eyes. But power relations are defined through humans and their dispositions, their practices, behaviours and tasks as well as through their technological devices.

Other known perspective device found drawn is Leonardo da Vinci's "Draftsman drawing an armillary sphere" (1510):

This item is connected to item 007: http://possiblebodies.constantvzw.org/inventory/?007

To read more about Perspective, orientation and worldsettings, see Rocha, J. and Snelting, F. (2017) The Possible Bodies Inventory: dis-orientation and its aftermath in "Cuerpos Poliédricos", Inmaterial Journal vol. 2, num. 3 (Barcelona: Bau College of Design) https://www.inmaterialdesign.com/index.php/mag/article/view/27

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