On Reflection

Reflections 1927 William Wendt

There are a great many famous, much-admired masterworks of art which have water reflections as the main subject matter. Water reflections are so important in landscape painting they comprise a subject of study all their own. We stand in awe of the perfection of these paintings as we accept the reality presented to us by these great artists. How did they do it? We seem to be part of the picture, as though we are standing on a shoreline or sitting in a boat on the water looking out. But what do we really know about how reflections work in nature? Are there optical rules which cannot be broken, or has the artist manipulated reality so deftly that we are unaware of the trick? Generally speaking, we find that it is some of both. There are some rules which must be followed in order to create the illusion of a reflective and simultaneously, transparent surface.

A perfectly still body of water is, at best, an imperfect mir…