Abstract

The two systems – Renaissance perspective and the two-channel electro-acoustic music system – are compared through individual parameters and the results of techniques that provide composers or artists with an intuitive mapping scheme. This study does not intend to copy an entire piece of music into a painting, or vice versa, instead it aims to supply a cohesive explanation of how the two systems create the illusion of depth. After reviewing the historical background, major components of Renaissance perspective–linear perspective, separation of planes, and aerial perspective–are discussed. Then the two-channel electro-acoustic music system is examined in conjunction with Renaissance perspective. The Inverse Size/Distance Law in linear perspective and the Inverse Square Law in sound show a strong correlation between the size of an object in painting and the intensity of a sound object in the stereophonic system. The technique of reverberation is specifically discussed in terms of creating the vertical sound planes in space. Filtering is the major techniques examined in order to create atmospheric perspective in the two-channel sound system. The color perspective is examined through timbre space, which is a conceptual space where each parameter of the axis is measurable. Through these studies an intuitive mapping scheme, which includes individual parameter and its values, is applied to actual works in order to convert spatial information from painting to music and vice versa. Converting spatial information requires three steps: 1) Number the order of the objects 2) Analyze spatial information of the objects based on the intuitive mapping scheme 3) Arrange the objects with spatial information in the new medium. In addition to this application, different temporalities of both media are discussed to see how a specific mapping scheme can be applied to the particular medium.