Illusions In Art

What do you see when you look at this painting? Obviously there is a beautiful woman naked by a water fall. But look closely, do you see anyone else? The rock the woman leans upon is a face of another woman, and the naked woman is actually also the face of an old woman: Her knee is the old woman's chin, her arms and elbows is the nose, breast the eye, and the cascading water fall is the gray hair.

I love optical illusions in art, to be able to see what wants to remain hidden. You have to stare deeply at the lines, angles, curves and break the symmetry, to reveal the message of the piece. The painting above "Waterfall" was created by Octavio Ocampo, who is a genius, creating beautiful works of illusions to trick as well as to intrigue and inspire his audience. He is almost like a magician, he tries to fool the eyes but expand the mind.



Here's another optical illusion. Now concentrate, use your fingers to trace the image. At first it might seem like a profile of a young woman turning away, then you discover that there is a old woman smiling: The young woman's necklace is the smile, chin the nose, and her the old woman's eye. This is one of the famous illusion pieces that many artists try to recreate; but the original artist is W.E. Hill, who was a cartoonist. Hill published what he titled "My wife and Mother-in-law" in Puck Magazine in 1915. The illusion is full of his humor, and adds a web of mystery.

It take such awesome skill and talent to be able to paint illusions from the mind and unto a blank canvas. I think that all artist should try to make a illusion of their own, to challenge themselves. To understand the special techniques that mold such pieces and realize that if they can create an illusion, it opens the door for more awe aspiring work in the future.



For more illusions check out: http://www.visionsfineart.com/ocampo/aa_index.html