Illusory Art

THE ART OF ILLUSION

Metamorphic art cleverly catches your attention, transforming from one image into another right before your eyes; although, more accurately, it's "you" that changes, that is, your perception of the work. Metamorphic art also imparts important lessons about life: showing us first-hand that appearances can be deceiving; instructing us not to fall prey to stereotypical thinking, but rather, to keep an open mind; teaching us that in order to understand a subject you must scrutinize it from all angles and up close. The eyes and mind can all too easily be tricked into a false or inaccurate perception. Take, for example, this still life of a skull:

Did the artist morosely intend to fixate our attention on the reality of death? Well, that's just half of the picture--and not just figuratively speaking, but literally! When getting closer to view the details of the work, a still life of "death" suddenly turns into a "living" figure study (Scroll to the bottom of this page to see the enlarged image).

Such double imagery is discernable up close, but not when diminished enough, viewed at a distance, which is why it's crucial when buying this type of piece to avoid purchasing too large a print. Anything larger than an 8 x 10 will not trick someone entering a small room like a smaller print will, one in which you must get closer in order to perceive the other imagery in the art. Only if you have a spacious room or foyer should you consider purchasing a larger-scale print. However, before embarking on a search for metamorphic art, there's more nuances to consider besides size.

Nudes, skulls, and faces such as this one were common metamorphic motifs that flourished in postcard form in the late 19th and early 20th century. Multiple nude or scantily clad women were often morphed and twisted into awkward, unnatural positions in order to form a face or skull. Clearly the more artistic license taken, the less impressive a metamorphic work. But in the above image, the mishmash of characters is to be excused somewhat since they presumably are related to the life of the person depicted. The piece though has other shortcomings. Shading is a common technique of metamorphic artistry and emphasized here. The left of the face is drawn lightly and the right darker to suggest a light source coming from the left and shadowing the right side of the face. So far so good, but looking closely at the outline of the top of the head notice how only the left side meshes with the characters. A woman's thigh, hip, arm and hair form the top left of the head but the top and right side of the head are simply formed by an arbitrary background. (Compare this to the outline of the skull in the still life previously considered in which the entire skull's outline meshes perfectly with the woman's nude crouched figure.) Moreover, while the right eye also forms the eye of someone else's profile, what the left eye comprises is unclear and certainly unconvincing. Those are the sort of elements to analyze when judging the merits of the artistry and looking to buy a metamorphic piece. Charming and beguiling, this unique art of illusion is certainly worth acquiring.

In the image above whether at first sight you see a skull or a crouched nude is a matter of selective perception, of what details in the image you're focusing on and how your mind is interpreting the image. This principle of visual bias is also illustrated by the cube formations shown at the top right. Some people see six cubes in the larger formation, other people see seven. By using the different three-cube formations (at the left of the identical larger formations) as a guide, you'll perceive how indeed one can find both six and seven cubes.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OPTICAL ILLUSION ART