WHAT HINDERS ACCURATE DEPICTION OF PROJECTIVE SHAPE

Adult subjects drew the visual projection of two models. One model was a trapezoid placed in the frontoparallel plane. The other was a tilted rectangle which displayed the same projective shape on a frontoparallel plane as the trapezoid. The drawing conditions were varied in two ways: the model remained available for inspection during the drawing task or it was masked after initial inspection; the subjects drew on paper placed flat on the table or on a vertical glass pane placed in front of the model (ie on a da Vinci window). The results were that (i) the projective shape of the frontoparallel trapezoid was reproduced accurately whereas that of the tilted rectangle was systematically distorted in the direction of its actual physical dimensions; (ii) when subjects drew on paper, the presence or absence of a view of the model made no difference to the amount of distortion; (iii) drawing on a da Vinci window improved accuracy even when the model was hidden. These findings provide information about the relative roles of object-centred knowledge, perceptual abilities, and depiction skills in drawing performance.