Ewi 15 Creating a Virtual World of a Painting with Inconsistent Linear Perspective the Arnolfini Portrait in 3 D

In spite of its almost photographic realism, the Arnolfi ni Portrait by naturalistic painter Jan van Eyck exhibits faulty linear perspective. This paper describes the creation of a three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of the painting’s interior scene using commercial modelling and image processing software. The result presented here is a rendering of the reconstructed scene closely resembling the original painting, and demonstrating what the painting would have looked like if it had had correct linear perspective. The three-dimensional representation of the portrait may be of interest to art historians, and could be employed in a virtual exploration and learning environment. Creating a virtual world of a painting with inconsistent linear perspective The Arnolfini Portrait in 3D Ph lip an en Vo l.2 su e 1