Refers to any graphic method concerned with conveying an impression of depth, usually on a two-dimensional surface, by means of geometric projection using one or more vanishing points, foreshortening, and/or atmospheric effects. Techniques include receding lines, gradients of color, tone and texture, and degrees of clarity. In Western art, the term generally refers to the geometrical technique of linear perspective that was invented in the early Renaissance, based on ancient Greek and Roman models. Although its meaning overlaps somewhat with "projection," "projection" is typically used for technical and architectural drawings that emphasize the mathematical properties of objects that are preserved in the images; "perspective" is used for art works and renderings that include the distortions of lengths, angles, shapes, and straightness of lines that optically appear to occur as objects recede into space.

Source: AAT

http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300056340