Shapegarden

[Image: From "Geometria et Perspectiva" by Lorenz Stöer (1567), via Bibliodyssey].

I just thought these images were cool: geometry workouts engraved in the 16th century by Lorenz Stöer, featuring dense architectural exercises of pure geometry, with shapes drawn for the sake of shapes—on top of shapes in front of shapes—all illustrating what perspectival rendering can achieve with complex spatial environments.

[Image: From "Geometria et Perspectiva" by Lorenz Stöer (1567), via Bibliodyssey].

Light and shadow; depth and relationship; stars and wheels and cylinders; arches and stairs.

You could probably just stare at these all night and imagine new angular worlds emerging through which bewildered humans wander, surrounded by huge and immersive crystal cities, perhaps something like a variant on the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a story told "against an ever changing backdrop of mysterious ruins, monuments, orchards, gardens and fountains."

Now imagine that story retold by a Cubism-obsessed Renaissance engraver doomed to live four centuries ahead of his true time. It's geometry as a narrative device.

[Image: From "Geometria et Perspectiva" by Lorenz Stöer (1567), via Bibliodyssey].

These were all found via Bibliodyssey, who originally posted these five years ago and who also maintain a full Flickr set featuring these and many more such images. It's worth noting that that Flickr set was built from scans originally done by Will from A Journey Round My Skull.

Don't miss that Flickr set.