What does foreshortening mean?
Foreshortening is the technique artists use to represent objects or figures that extend into depth by making them appear shorter or compressed along the viewer's line of sight. Because a body pointing directly toward or away from us occupies less horizontal space than one seen side-on, faithfully drawing it requires deliberately distorting its proportions — limbs may seem stubby, torsos truncated, and feet enlarged. Mastered well, the effect is remarkably convincing, creating a powerful illusion of three dimensions on a flat surface; mastered poorly, it produces awkward, mangled anatomy. The term derives from the verb foreshorten, which appeared in English in the early seventeenth century alongside the flowering of linear perspective in Renaissance art. Today it remains essential vocabulary in art education, art criticism, and discussions of photography and optics, describing both deliberate pictorial strategy and the natural way cameras and eyes compress distance.
The representation of an object or figure in a picture as shorter or distorted because it extends toward or away from the viewer, so as to create the illusion of depth.
"Students learn foreshortening early because convincing depictions of hands, feet, and reclining bodies depend on it."
Most often discussed in art instruction and art historical contexts; also applied metaphorically in optics and photography to any apparent compression of depth.
The apparent reduction in length of an object viewed at an oblique angle along the line of sight, independent of artistic depiction.
"Astronomers must account for foreshortening when measuring features near the Moon's limb."
Common in technical and scientific contexts such as astronomy, photogrammetry, and imaging.
Mantegna's 15th-century 'Dead Christ' pushed foreshortening so far that the holes in the pierced feet dominate the painting — proof that shrinking a body correctly can make it feel startlingly real.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of foreshortening
Foreshortening comes from the verb foreshorten, formed in early seventeenth-century English from the prefix fore- (meaning 'in front' or 'before') combined with 'shorten', literally suggesting the contraction of something seen front-on. The word arose during the period when Renaissance theories of linear perspective were being codified and taught in England, particularly through treatises on the art of drawing. Its underlying elements are Germanic in origin — both 'fore-' and 'short' trace back to Old English — even though the concept it names became central through Italian Renaissance art theory.
Related word forms
How foreshortening is actually used
Foreshortening belongs primarily to the vocabulary of art history, drawing instruction, and technical discussion of optics and photography. It carries no emotional connotation and is neutral in register, though it is somewhat specialized rather than everyday vocabulary.
Easily confused with foreshortening
Foreshortening is a visual technique for compressing depth in a picture, while foreshadowing is a literary device of hinting at events to come.