Anamorphosis using mirrors: stunning, they make perfectly clear figures appear in the middle of spots, lines or something totally different. The picture just below has been drawn by István Orosz , a Hungarian who will celebrate his 67th birthday this year.
As all objects of fascination, anamorphosis have obviously been used as propagand for spreading Christian grandeur. The aim was to convince Chinese people that Jesuit mathematics and spirituality are the graeatest. But Chinese people had been used mirrors since 2000 B.C. so didn't they already know anamorphosis for a while...? History is only made by those who relate it after all.
I've been reading those days a small book of about a hundrer pages. Its title? "The Ambassadors, anatomy of a master piece", written by Jean-Louis Ferrier, 1977. This painting ? The Ambassadors precisely ! Painted by Holbein in 1533, a German.
And what abour the shapeless shape misshapen at the feet of the characters? It is precisly my topic of the day: the anamorphosis. This enigmatic element becomes clearer as you shift to the right side of the (true) painting, at 1.50 meters: it's a skull!
Anamorphosis appeared in Western world thanks to the breakthrough in mathematics in the artistic field: thus, anamorphosis are seen as a breach of the proper rules of perspective. Mathematicians, artists but also philosophers are interested in anamorphosis, and it exists severals types: I will present you here some of them here, so you can be amazed a bit!
Anamorphosis using cones or pyramids mirrors have to be looked at from the top. On your right side, you can discover The Lady with the bird (18th century, Holland), thanks to a conical mirror. It is difficult to imagine a charming young lady somewhere between those disjoined limbs!
Nowadays you can see anamorphosis in your everyday life. They are everywhere in streets, galleries or on buildings. They dress the world with a new scale. They still question, astonish and delight, even after so many centuries since we know them!!
What about you? Have you ever cross the path of anamorphosis?
References:
Book of Jean-Louis Ferrier, Holbein, The Ambassadors, Anatomy of a master piece, 1977.
Book of Jurgis Baltrusaïtis, Anamorphosis, the depraved perspectives, 1985.
With the great help of Google Image...
Écrire commentaire