The Eiffel Tower, named after its engineer Gustave Eiffel, was erected in 1889 in Paris, France for the 1889 World’s Fair. The tower measures over 1,000 feet in height. From 1889 to 1930, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world. In the photograph below, a giant man shows off his height by playfully […]
Oscar Reutersvärd drew many impossible figures during his lifetime. These figures and drawings have inspired many artists in the past and will continue to do so for quite some time. The following example of one of Reutersvärd’s “impossible windows” was created by Catherine Leah Palmer. Two additional examples of impossible windows can be viewed by […]
This yellow bicycle sculpture is located in Milan, Italy, a city best known for fashion. While it does not look particularly special, it happens to be an optical illusion. Can you figure out what is going on? The two photographs below show how the artist created this sculpture. From two specific viewing points, it looks […]
British artist James Hopkins transforms everyday items into sophisticated illusions. His work below, titled “Shelf Life”, was created in 2006 for a private collection. Does the bookshelf resemble something else? To learn more about James Hopkins and view more of his works, please visit JamesHopkinsWorks.com.
New Zealand sculptor Neil Dawson creates large-scale pieces crafted from aluminum and steel. His sculpture titled ‘Horizons’ shown below resembles a sheet of cloth or paper gently floating to the ground. In reality, it is made of welded steel and measures an imposing 15m high and 36m long. The tree in the background of this […]
If you tried to walk up or down these stairs to get to the top or the bottom, you would find yourself walking for a very long time. This is a variation of the Penrose Stairs created by Lionel and Roger Penrose in 1959. More of Andreas Aronsson’s impossible figures can be viewed on his […]
What do you see here? A view of a lake with mountains behind it? Or do you see something else? There is no lake in this picture. What most people perceive to be a body of water is actually a short wall. What did you see when you first looked at the picture?
