Artist make shapes in the background smaller than shapes in the foreground to communicate their distance from the viewer. How else might a landscape artist show shapes in the background to depict their distance from the viewer?
Besides making shapes smaller, a landscape artist might also use atmospheric perspective, which means making objects in the background lighter, cooler (more blue), and less distinct to create the illusion of distance. The artist may also use overlapping shapes, showing objects in the background partially obscured by objects in the foreground. Another technique is to use a warmer color temperature for objects in the foreground and cooler color temperatures for those in the background, which creates the illusion of distance as the atmosphere tends to cool the color of objects as they recede into the distance. Lastly, the artist might also play with the sharpness of the details, making the textures and edges more blurred as objects get further into the background.
