I think it's fair to say that linear perspective as a theory was indeed developed in Florence--by Alberti, Brunelleschi, and their friends--in the 1420s. It was discussed endlessly, and over the course of the century tons of treatises on the subject were produced (most of which, thankfully, have been lost). So as far as that goes, your art history course was right. What isn't right is to assume that the use of "correct" perspective was universally seen as an "advance". It wasn't, not even in Italy. The basics are easy for anyone to grasp; once explained, all but the most incompetent artists should have been capable of mastering it. Yet as early as the late 1430s some chose deliberately to distort their paintings' fictive space, for a variety of reasons. This was done to even more dramatic effect in the following centuries. But that's another story.
The ancient Romans, and presumably the Greeks, did indeed know how to use perspective. Painting in the Late Empire underwent stylistic changes that involved, among other things, the rejection of "correct" perspective. If anyone in the classical world ever wrote about perspective theory, his work has been lost; so, by default, the Quattrocento Florentines get the credit.
As for Milan in late July....well, you didn't choose a very good moment. NO ONE who is ANYONE is here after the 15th. This year was especially bad. They decided to rip up the entire city for road repairs. It was impossible to get anywhere at all, so most people just left. If you come at any other time of year, you'll find a very busy city. |
