Resources.Virtual Space

Artists have constructed virtual space in their work throughout history. From the Medieval paintings of Giotto, which draw on the fresco tradition of Roman antiquity to today, space is made to function as both symbol and reality.

The paintings of Giotto depict space through the use of hierarchical scale, where importance dictates size. Rococo painter Fragonard uses the soft, hazy transitions of atmospheric perspective to move us from foreground to background.

Romantic painters of the nineteenth century, such as Thomas Cole, portrayed the insignificance of man against the majesty of nature. Contemporary photographers such as Andreas Gursky do much the same, though changing the backdrop to the technological sublime.

History painting, in the work of artists like Theodore Gericault, depicted monumental human effort and tragedy. Works such as this were designed as composites of models posing in studio against dramatic landscape backgrounds. In contemporary art photography adopts these techniques to creating bizarre combinations of the real and artificial.

Surrealists such as Salvador Dali played with the nature of reality, creating environments that were fantastic and convincing at the same time. Dali often incorporated optical illusions (see the skull above) into his work. Contemporary video gaming utilizes elements of the real world that are mapped onto game environments, creating a world both real and imaginary.