Anamorphic street art is a form of street art that uses optical illusion to create a three-dimensional image when viewed from a specific angle.
Anamorphic street art is often created by distorting the image, so that when it is viewed from a specific viewpoint, the image appears to be three-dimensional and in full perspective.
It is often seen as a way of transforming urban spaces into playful, interactive environments.
Table of Contents
- How does Anamorphic Street Art work?
- Versions of Anamorphic Street Art
- Illusions like Anamorphic Street Art
- Discovery of Anamorphic Street Art
- References and Resources
- Sign up for emails from Mental Bomb
How does Anamorphic Street Art?
Anamorphic street art works by manipulating the way our eyes perceive the image.
The artist distorts the image in such a way that it appears to be in the correct perspective when viewed from a specific viewpoint, typically at a specific angle or from a certain distance.
The use of perspective and forced-perspective techniques tricks the viewer’s eye into perceiving a three-dimensional image where there is actually only a flat surface.
The result is an optical illusion that creates the illusion of depth and volume, making the image appear to pop out of the wall or floor.
To create an anamorphic street art piece, the artist needs to carefully plan the placement of the artwork and the viewpoint from which it will be viewed to ensure the illusion is successful.
Versions of Anamorphic Street Art
The following are other examples of Anamorphic Street Art
Illusions like Anamorphic Street Art
Anamorphic Street Art are a form of stereograms, which are images that use the difference between the left and right eye views to create the illusion of depth and 3D objects.
Anamorphic street art is a type of perspective illusion that creates the illusion of a three-dimensional image on a two-dimensional surface by manipulating the way our eyes perceive the image.
The image is distorted in such a way that when viewed from a specific angle or distance, it appears to be in correct perspective and the illusion of depth and volume is created.
The illusion is achieved by using techniques such as forced perspective and manipulation of perspective, which trick the viewer’s eye into perceiving the image as three-dimensional.
Some related illusions include the following:
An autostereogram is a type of image that appears to be a flat 2D image when viewed normally, but when viewed with a special technique, it appears to be a 3D image with depth and perspective.
Autostereograms are created by repeating a pattern of repeating elements, such as random dots, in such a way that the repeating elements at different depths in the image align with each other when viewed with the special technique. This creates the illusion of a 3D image.
The image below appears as a 2 dimensional flat image, but when viewed using one of the techniques mentioned below, a 3 dimensional shape appears.
Phantograms are 3D images that appear to float in space and can be viewed without special glasses or other aids. The term “Phantogram” is derived from the Greek words “phaneros,” meaning “visible,” and “gramma,” meaning “something written or drawn.”
Phantograms are created by taking two photos of an object from slightly different angles and then printing the images on a flat surface, such as a piece of paper or card. The two images are then viewed together, and the slight differences in perspective create the illusion of depth and the appearance of a floating 3D object.
Persistence of vision is the phenomenon by which the brain continues to perceive an image even after the image is no longer present.
This occurs because the cells in the retina, called rods and cones, take a brief period of time to “reset” after being stimulated.
A color constancy illusion is a type of visual illusion in which a color appears to be different when viewed in different contexts.
For example, the same patch of color may appear lighter or darker when viewed against different backgrounds, or may appear to change color when viewed under different lighting conditions.
The afterimage illusion is a type of visual illusion in which an image continues to appear in the observer’s visual field after the original stimulus has been removed.
This can occur due to the persistence of neural activity in the visual system, and can take the form of a positive afterimage (an image that is the same color as the original stimulus) or a negative afterimage (an image that is the opposite color of the original stimulus).
The Checker Shadow Illusion is created by a checkerboard pattern composed of squares with different luminance values, the squares that are not directly illuminated by the light source appear darker than the illuminated squares, creating the illusion of shadows.
The simultaneous contrast illusion is a visual effect that occurs when the perception of a color is affected by the colors of the surrounding area.
The illusion creates the appearance of a change in the color of an object, even though the actual color of the object remains constant.
The Neon Color Spreading illusion refers to the visual phenomenon where an area of color appears to spread or “bleed” beyond its intended boundaries.
The Bezold Effect: This illusion is created by placing two or more colors next to each other, and the way they appear to change when they are close to one another.
The Cornsweet illusion is a classic example of a brightness illusion, which is an illusion in which two areas that are physically the same brightness appear to be different in brightness.
The Chubb illusion is based on the perception of brightness and can be observed when a small bright patch is surrounded by a larger dark area, the small bright patch will appear brighter than the same patch surrounded by a bright area.
White’s illusion is a visual phenomenon in which two identical gray bars are placed on a background of alternating black and white stripes.
The gray bars appear to be different shades of gray, with the one on the white stripes appearing lighter than the one on the black stripes.
In the image below, both gray bars have the exact same color.
The Watercolor Illusion: This illusion is created by the way the brain perceives edges of an object. When an object is surrounded by a colored halo, the object appears to have a different color than it actually does.
The Café Wall Illusion is a visual illusion that is created by a grid of alternating light and dark horizontal and vertical lines. The lines appear to be bent or tilted, even though they are actually straight.
Discovery of Anamorphic Street Art
The origin of anamorphic street art is not well documented, and it’s unclear who created the first piece of anamorphic street art.
However, the use of anamorphosis in art dates back to the Renaissance, where artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer used the technique to create illusions of depth in their drawings and paintings.
In the modern era, street artists around the world have been inspired by these earlier techniques and have started incorporating anamorphic illusions into their street art, turning urban spaces into interactive, playful environments.
Some well-known street artists who have used anamorphic techniques in their work include Eduardo Sanson, Eduardo Relero, and Felipe Pantone, among others.
References and Resources
Check out our complete list of illusions.