Work

Perspective as Symbolic Form (Die Perspektive als 'symbolische Form')

1927

The single most influential text on perspective in twentieth-century art history; basis for all subsequent debate (Damisch, Pérez-Gómez, Scolari, Bois).

Representation Sign Knowledge

Details

Type: Essay
Location: Leipzig and Berlin (Vorträge der Bibliothek Warburg 1924–25, pp. 258–330); English translation Zone Books 1991

Connections

articulates Perspective as symbolic form

Referenced by

The Projective Cast: Architecture and Its Three Geometries extends
Erwin Panofsky authored
The Origin of Perspective (L'Origine de la perspective) critiqued
Oblique Drawing: A History of Anti-Perspective opposes

Sources

Erwin Panofsky. Perspective as Symbolic Form. Zone Books, 1991.
Panofsky, Erwin (trans. Christopher S. Wood). Perspective as Symbolic Form. Zone Books, 1991.

Cite this entry

First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026

CLAD. "Perspective as Symbolic Form (Die Perspektive als 'symbolische Form')." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/work/work-perspective-symbolic-form/. Accessed July 17, 2026.