Prospettive

Prospettive is the Italian plural of prospettiva and can refer to several related concepts. In everyday usage it denotes viewpoints or standpoints (prospettive di una persona), future outlooks or prospects (prospettive economiche, prospettive di lavoro), and more generally the ways in which a subject can be seen from different angles. The term covers both subjective positions and objective possibilities that may unfold over time.

In art and design, prospettiva denotes the technique of representing three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional plane. Linear perspective uses a vanishing point and converging lines to create depth, while atmospheric (o aerea) perspective relies on color and clarity to suggest distance. The development of linear perspective in the Italian Renaissance, associated with figures such as Filippo Brunelleschi and Leon Battista Alberti, was formalized in treatises including Piero della Francesca’s De Prospectiva Pingendi. These methods transformed how space, proportion and spatial relationships are depicted in painting and drawing.

In modern usage, the term also appears in fields such as urban planning, architecture and economics to describe envisaged futures and possible outcomes. Phrases like prospettive future or prospettive di mercato reflect expectations about growth, risk and change. The common thread is the articulation of a point of view or a horizon toward which events may progress.

Etymology: prospettiva derives from Latin perspectiva, via Italian, ultimately from perspicere “to look through” or “to see clearly.” The plural prospettive is used to express multiple senses or instances.