Type1: object that can't exist in 3-D world

Have you ever seen an object that can't exist in 3-D world?

 If you see my first blog, you would see objects that can't exist in 3-D world. Escher's waterfall is one of them. In this week, I will introduce so many trick arts. So I'm sure you will be interested in trick art.

 This is "Ascending and Descending".  No one can go a high point if he or she climbs steps eternally. It is impossible that this stairs exist in 3-D world.









 This is "Belvedere". In second floor, the ladder is set in the belvedere, but in third floor, it is set from outside of the belvedere.












These pictures are based on "impossible figure" like below examples.

 Why do these illusions occur? In many cases, we can notice it is impossible after few seconds look.  But after we noticed that it is inconsistent, first impression that it is a 3-D object remains in our brain. So we feel strange impression.

 Psychologists, mathematicians and artists are interested in impossible figures, and they can't be classified in a specific field.






 Next, I will show you very interesting moving images about objects that can't exist in 3-D world.

 This image is about "Escher's waterfall". If you can't see the flow of water well, please magnify this image. The hint of the illusion is on https://www.youtube.com/tv?vq=medium#/watch?v=Lwm-yGCjOjU.

 This is called "Penrose triangle". It is a basis of many pictures of objects that can't exist in 3-D world. In fact, Escher's waterfall uses this triangle. If you look it, you will notice there is a combination of two Penrose triangles in Escher's waterfall.
 Beneath picture is existent object. It is in East Perth, Western Australia. Thus Penrose triangle can be represent in two ways: the first way is painting on paper. The second is making an object that looks Penrose triangle from a specific angle.

 This is my favorite movie about "Ascending and Descending"! This type of stairs is called "Penrose stairs". Penrose stairs is also based on Penrose triangle.

 This is about "Necker cube". The forth picture in this blog is simple form of it.






 At last, I will introduce another type of impossible figures. Where is the point of "another"? Penrose triangle, Necker cube and Penrose stairs need underhand things to represent in 3-D world. For example, in moving image of Penrose triangle, the object is never a triangle. In that of Necker cube, it is never be a cube. But another type is a sound object. However, if you see it from a specific angle, it changes itself dramatically. Please watch below moving images.

                       (In the second image, first and third object are different category.)

 These objects have tricks same as Penrose triangle and so on. But the objects actually existence as sound 3-D objects. This is the difference between the former and the latter.



 How about objects that can't exist in 3-D world? It can't exist in 3-D world, but we feel it is exist. Our eyes are actually unreliable.
 Well, you should be fascinated by the illusion. And you must be interested in trick art! Next week, I will introduce "illusion about size and length". Don't miss it!

The history of Trick Art

Do you know the history of Trick Art?

The history of trick art dates back to an anecdote about two famous Greek painter, Zeuxis and Palacios, written in Plinius Secundus's "Historia naturalis"(1st century).

One day, they got together, each bringing a work themselves and competed to outdo each other. Zeuxis painted a bunch of grape and a small bird came to peck. He said Palacios to take the cover of cloth and show him Palacios's work. But, in fact, the cloth was just Palacios's work! Zeuxis's grape merely tricked small bird's eyes, but Palacios's cloth tricked famous painter's eyes. So, of course, Palacios was declared the victor in the competition.

Like Zeuxis's grape, there are many stories that a picture attracted animals because of its verisimilitube. However, if it was lifelike picture, there was no one who thought that real grape
was there. Even it can trick a small bird's eyes, it can't trick a human's eyes.
But like Palacios's cloth, if painter uses spatial contextual cueing well and make an illusion, the  cloth in a frame becomes just like cloth covering something. Trick art indicates an art like this.

In the early history of trick art, "To make the picture just like real things and to be seen the subject is there" were always the mainstream. I will introduce some of the example.

A wall painting in ancient Rome


In ancient Rome, perspective drawing was already used. This picture is the evidence. By the paint of pillars and background in the wall, it shows space as if a world exists over the wall.

Potrait of aCarthusian (1446)

A fly in the picture of　Flanders

In a portrait, sometimes a fly was painted as if it settled on one's head. By the ordinary sense that a fly must not be painted on such conspicuous place, many people carelessly think a real fly settles on the picture and want to drive away. It was popular in Renaissance art in Italy, too.

Thus until about 17th or 18th century, how the picture seems to merge into background is most important. Such pictures were so minute and great as paintings.

But as time went by, pictures that make "illusion" became more popular. For example, Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898～1972) is one of the most famous trick art painters. In last week blog, I  introduced his picture of waterfall.

Sky and Water I (1938)

This picture is also Escher's work. When fish became a bird!? It's so amazing.
Thus, he made various types of art and most of them are illusion. I want to introduce Escher more, but it is joy for next week. So I put up with my desire now.

Of course there are many the former style of trick arts. This room is in a hotel in Nagano now. The cabinet and the piano are real thing. But the curtain and the view from the window are trick art.









How is the history of trick art? At first, the main purpose of trick is enjoying the artistic aspect. But now, it is enjoying the illusory aspect. I think that the history of trick art is that is to say, the change of the concept of trick art. 

What is Trick Art?

What is Trick Art?

Trick Art is a picture which trick your eyes. In French, it is called "Trompe-l'oeil"and it means "trick eyes" in Japanese.
You may think the trick art is very special representation of art. But in fact, it is very familiar. Most of pictures and illustrations that we usually see can be called trick art! First of all, look at
the below illustration.

There are three orange balls. The left-hand side ball rise into the air. But wait! This picture that you see is a plane projecting on screen, so the balls actually don't exist!

As I have said, pictures and illustrations make unreal things real things using rules of the human'sense of sight and modeling.

Trick art can be classified into 5 types.

1. object that can't exist real world
2.illusion about size and length
3.object that change the form by the difference of the point of view (for example The Pot of Rubin)
4.Painting that are seen pop up fusion from background
5.Painting that moves despite those are just statics images

Of course, you will know what is trick art, but I will introduse some typical trick art.

"The Pot of Rubin", it will be known to many people.
If you think that black is background, you can see white pot.
If you think that white is background, you can see two people who are face to face.

Next one is "Escher waterfall". At first sight, it is ordinary waterfall. But you will notice it is very strange if you follow the flow of water.Yes! You went upstairs unconsciously!

Look at left picture. Such picture can be regarded a trick art. You can know that trick art is very easy to take and trick art is in hiding in daily life. So don't hesitate to be interested in trick art and don't think that "art" is difficult. It is like a jack-in-the-box.


In this blog, I will introduce so many trick arts.
The reason of why I decided to write about trick art is of course I like trick art and I am interested in trick art. I like trick art and often read(see?) trick art books from childhood. At first, I simply enjoy the surprise of trick art. Beginning, in many cases, trick art is just a picture.But if  I look at the trick art, it shows me various aspects to me. Next, the change of main image is second surprise. For example, in Pot of Rubin, "The heads form the bottom of pot!" However, as time went by my way of enjoying trick art has changed. Of course the surprise is still attracting me. But now, thinking the reason of illusion is my joy. So I will research the reason of illusion and introduce it. "When a brain change the recognition of main image?", "What criteria does a brain use in deciding a main image?", "Why a object that can't exist in 3-D world can exist in 2-D world?". There seems to be no end to my mystery of trick art.