The idea of perspective was further explored through Petrus Christus’ Exeter Madonna and Campin’s Merode Triptych in this class. As we saw previously, Northern artists favored the inclusion of greater detail over following strict rules. This led to the use of rising perspective and tilt as we saw last class. They also utilized aerial perspective, which aims to recreate the way objects look from far away. This includes blurring and less detail, hue shift, and increased saturation coupled with a loss of contrast. The use of aerial perspective enabled artists to accurately represent distance. It was interesting how Christus utilized it to enhance the realistic appearance of the city visible through the arches of the scene. Campin’s triptych provides an excellent example of disguised symbolism through everyday objects. Theological symbols such as the book and scroll, candle, and mousetrap remind the viewer that although the surroundings of the annunciation scene are extremely secular, the figures represent a key message they should recognize and remember. I found this a fascinating way to impart scenes with underlying messages while on the surface appearing strictly secular or earthly.