Among the many ways in which an artist, photographer or movie director can create the illusion of depth and distance on a two-dimensional surface, interposition and linear perspective are two of the most widely used.

Interposition

Interposition is an ambiguous term that essentially pertains to the placement or arrangement of different objects on the canvas, whereby their size and spatial relationship (i.e. distance between them) imparts the idea of distance and depth. Interposition can also refer to the overlapping of objects, wherein the overlapping object is usually said to be closer to the viewer than the one under it.

For instance, a landscape painting may have a river winding its way between two mountains with some trees in the foreground; the mountains in the background and the trees in the foreground create the illusion of depth through interposition, with the mountains appearing to be farther away than the trees due to their size and relative distance from each other.

Linear Perspective

Linear perspective, on the other hand, is a technique used to simulate the perception of space and distance on a flat surface. Basically, it works by creating the illusion that parallel lines converge in the distance. This is achieved by using a set of guidelines and rules, such as vanishing points, horizon lines and relative sizes of objects, that help to produce an illusion of depth and distance.

The most common application of linear perspective is in architectural drawings, such as those seen in blueprints, which use the technique to create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface.

Conclusion

Interposition and linear perspective are two of the most commonly used techniques for creating the illusion of depth and distance on a two-dimensional surface. Both work in different ways to simulate the perception of space and distance, and they are often used together in order to achieve more realistic results.