Making sense of 1 point perspective

Question

When you draw a cube in one point perspective you start by drawing a perfect square. But, if I understand perspective correctly, you can only see the front plane of the cube as a perfect square when the cube is right in front of you. If the cube is to the side of the vanishing point, wee see its side plane, so we are looking at it slightly from the side. Therefore the side of the square that's farther from the vanishing point should be foreshortened? Why is it then that all tutorials I've seen tell you to start with perfect square. Is it just because it's a good enough approximation?

Thanks

Answer 1

You are right, in the case of a perfect cube, the only moment you see a perfect square is when you are seeing it, from a distance exactly at the center of a face, so no "tale" can be seeing.

Take a look at this post At what point does 1 point perspective become 2 point perspective?

But in the history of drawing and painting, perspective as a new discovery had a transition period from flat-lateral representations to scenes using it, so it has a bit of both, flat and perspective.

Drawing is an abstraction, and abstraction means that you "remove" elements of reality. In the current 1 point perspective you have not an accurate representation, but a style, the same as isometric drawing or super exaggerated distortions or points of view, like in a comic book drawing.