Woman at the Beach, Wind in her Hair

This drawing was going to be a continuation of my discussion, started with my last two drawings, of the relationship of the texture of materials to the details in drawing. But now that entire discussion has to be put on hold because this drawing brings us accidentally to the beach, and, since we are at the beach, I want to take the opportunity to discuss some issues of perspective which can only be observed, and understood at the beach.

Every one has heard of a horizon line and a vanishing point and I am sure that most of us remember drawing in high school some odd looking buildings with the assistance of a horizon line. So we go through life imagining that above, beyond, or behind everything we see is a horizon line and we could see it if there weren't so many things blocking our view. But at the beach we can see this horizon line, now let’s consider where it is. I have drawn a standing figure and I put the horizon line level with her knees, Why did i put it there?

To understand the answer to this question you are going to have to go to the beach. Once you get there, spread out a blanket and lay down facing the water and the horizon line. Laying flat on the sand with your head six inches from the sand hold up your finger pointing level with the horizon, and observe that the horizon is level with your eyes when you are laying down. Now sit on the blanket with your head about thirty inches from the ground, and notice that the horizon line has come up to directly even with your eyes, the horizon line is now thirty inches from the ground also. Finally stand up and observe as you do, that the horizon line stands up also, persistently following the level of you eyes. Now that you are standing, jump up and down a few times, and notice that the horizon line will jump up and down with you. That horizon line watches you like a hawk, and your slightest movement up and down is echoed by a similar movement at the horizon.

Now lets return to my drawing, it is a view, seen by a person who is sitting on the beach, eye level with the woman's knees and looking up at her. If I had taken a photograph of her, the horizon line would be in the same place, but if I stood up with my camera and I was a little taller than her, the horizon line would pass over her head slightly. The horizon line is always the eye level line of the viewer.

When you get home from the beach it will be late, the moon will be out, look at it there up in the sky, notice how it glows with that strange omnipotent silver light. But now just jump up and down a few times there in the driveway and notice that the moon jumps up and down also. Why is this? How can it have time to pay so much attention to us, to know our every movement?