Anamorphosis art is an art form which tricks your eyes by using a different perspective. All you see will be only some irregular twirls on a flat surface, but they will appear as excellent pictures when viewed through a cylindrical mirror placed at the centre of the surface. They are hidden from your eye until you look at them in the right way from the right place. Interesting! Isn’t it?
What happens in Anamorphosis?
It is hard to describe what is happening in Anamorphosis using a single word. It is not exactly stretching, transformation or mere visual illusion but a combination of all the three. Simply put, when you look at a flat image in a cylindrical mirror, it appears distorted. An Anamorphosis artist just reverses the perspective. He creates a distorted image on a flat surface so that it gets the right appearance when viewed through a cylindrical mirror. Conical and pyramidal mirrors can also be used as per the technique employed by the artist.
It’s all about focus!
Anamorphosis artists require immense precision and creativity. Mastering this art form requires patience and perseverance. Even looking at an Anamorphosis painting requires skills. Each painting has its own way to look at so that you get to see the beautiful image. The success of a viewer lies in his focus. A viewer gets to see a perfect and distortion free image only when his viewpoint is in synchronisation with the artist’s viewpoint.
Common uses of Anamorphosis
The most common use of Anamorphosis is for road signs. Road signs need to be written or drawn in such a way that it appears perfect when viewed from the driver’s seat. It will appear distorted to a viewer looking at it directly from the top. Anamorphic images were commonly used in past when any secret information, especially of politically sensitive nature was to be conveyed to particular people.
Read Also : SCRATCH ART
