Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Artifact No. 3 (Monocle For Philippe W.)


The image is dedicated to Philippe W., an elegant and original digital and traditional artist, now living in Spain, who recently suffered an injury to one eye, from which he is in the process of recovery.

If examined closely with normal binocular vision and the natural faculty to perceive chromostereopsis, the above image will have more depth seen with one eye than with two.

With two eyes there will be some inward depth, but little projection. With one eye (for those who have two, either or both will do, though one at a time) one will find that there is both considerable depth and projection.

The reasons for this are complex. It has not generally been observed, for example, that red chromostereopsis is actually less with stereoscopic vision, exactly because the stereoscopy of vision with two eyes gives stereoscopic clues counter to the chromostereopsis of the red projection illusion.

In this case, there are additional structural clues giving the illusion of depth to one eye more strongly than to two.

As far as I know this is the first mixed structural and chromostereoscopic illusion of this type digitally, where, fairly close to the viewing screen and at that small size, one eye sees the illusion of more depth than two.

Best wishes to Philippe on his next surgery and speedy recovery of the full sight of both eyes to a gifted 3D digital artist, and car'amico. Salut!
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N.B. Apparently there are some who, for the various reasons, do not process depth illusions as most do. No need for anxiety if one does not see the illusion. In many cases the red-blue depth illusion, an old standby of visual artists, has to be acquired by looking, and it is like swimming or sex or riding a bicycle--once it is acquired it is nearly impossible to unacquire.

Structural illusions of depth are also old standby's of visual artists, sometimes not recognized for what they are even by adept critics, as in Picasso's Guernica which one recently discussed with Philippe W., and which, seen from exactly the right point, is a marvel of wrap-around depth, thus strengthening the surprise and horror of the scene.

For those who may be wondering about the provenance of an "Artifact" numbered "two", the medial image may be found in the gallery at Inner Traveler here:

http://www.innertraveler.com/publicgallery/showphoto.php?photo=50957&cat=500&ppuser=902

One needs to become a member to have full access to works not in the public galleries.

1 comment:

wattee said...

i love this post and the comment! -