Optical Illusions

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Christopher Landauer
Science of Art
March 9, 2000

What is an Illusion?
illusion (-lzhn) noun
1. a. An erroneous perception of reality.
b. An erroneous concept or belief.
2. The condition of being deceived by a false perception or belief.
3. Something, such as a fantastic plan or desire, that causes an
erroneous belief or perception.
4. Illusionism in art.

Latin root of illusion is illudere which means to mock

Optical illusions mock our trust in our senses
Suggest that the eye is not a passive camera; rather,
perception is an active process that takes place in the
brain and is not directly predictable from simple
knowledge of physical relationships

Whats the big deal?

Human reliance on
correspondence between
conscious experience and
physical reality
Continual verification of our
senses
Cultural Heritage
Seeing is Believing
See it with my own two
eyes

History of Illusions
Prehistory:
Afterimage caused by
glancing at the sun
A stick half in and half out of
water

History of Illusions
500 B.C.

- Height of the Greek Period

The eyes and ears are bad witnesses when they are at the service of minds
that do not understand their language
-Parmenides

Two Viewpoints on Perception:

1.

Sensory inputs are inaccurate. Mind corrects these inaccuracies to

provide an accurate representation of the environment.

Illusions: Senses are relied on more than the Mind

2.

Senses are inherently accurate and produce a true picture of the

environment. Mind is limited.

Illusions: Mind interferes with the Senses

History of Illusions
c. 450 B.C.
The mind sees and the mind hears. The rest is blind and deaf.
-Epicharmus
Man is nothing but a bundle of sensations
-Protagoras

c. 300 B.C.
We must perceive objects through the senses but with the mind
-Plato

384 - 322 B.C.

Each sense has one kind of object which it discerns, and never errs
in reporting that what is before it is color or sound; Although, it
may err as to what it is that is colored or where it is, or what it is
that is sounding, or where it is.
-Aristotle

History of Illusions
A. Ideal Parthenon
B. Architrave Illusion
(Jastrow-Lipps)
C. Illusionary Distortion
D. Alterations made to
offset illusion

History of Illusions

For the sight follows gracious contours; and unless

we flatter its pleasure by proportionate alterations of
the modules--so that by adjustment there is added the
amount to which suffers illusion--an uncouth and
ungracious aspect will be presented to the spectators.
-Vitruvius

History of Illusions
Entasis:
Convexing of column to overcome
parallel lines appearing concave
Irradiation Illusion:
Bright objects appear larger

History of Illusions
Conclusion:
More of an Art than a Science
Early Preparadaigmatic Science
-Trial and error
-Aesthetic, not scientific
-No factual understanding
-No treatsies
-No schools of thought

History of Illusions
1596 - 1650
Descartes:
There is both a registration stage and an interpretation stage
in the perceptual process. Perceptual error or illusion may intrude at
either of these two steps along the road to consciousness.
1700 - 1800

Given at Birth vs. Learned through Experience

Reid & Kant:

All knowledge of the external world comes directly
through the senses and is interpreted by innate
mechanisms
Berkeley & Hume:
All perceptual qualities are learned through
experience with the environment

History of Illusions
1800 - 1870

Experimental Foundations

Mueller, E.H. Weber, Helmholtz, Baldwin, Hering use Physics,

Physiology, Philosophy to form treatises
Specialist and Non-specialist working in area of visual geometric
illusions carrys on to the present
1922 - Luckiesh: lighting engineer
1964 - Tolansky: physicist
1972 - Robinson: psychologist
1900s Revolution and Rebirth
Behaviorists vs. Gestalt
Methodology vs. Theoretical
Percepual response & Brain wave patterns

Current State of
Illisions
Conclusion:
Paradigmatic Science (Psychology)
1900s
Normal Sciences => Anomoly => Crisis => Revolution
Current status: Normal Science
- mopping up
- puzzle solving
- guidelines for research

Ambiguous Figures

Face or Vase?

Ambiguous Figures
RetroActive
Nels Isralson

L'Amour de Pierrot
c.1905

Gossip and Satan

Geo. A. Wotherspoon

Ambiguous Figures

Bust of Voltaire
- Houdon, 1781

Slave Market With the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire

- Salvadore Dali, 1940

Ambiguous Figures

The Great Panoramic

- Salvadore Dali, 1936

Ambiguous Figures
Multiple Figures
2

2
2

Ambiguous Figures
Mask Concavity

Ambiguous Figures

Machs Figure

Ambiguous Figures
Schroders Staircase

Ambiguous Figures
Oscillating Cubes

Ambiguous Figures
Necker Cube

Ambiguous Figures

Ambiguous Figures

Cube looks like a cube.

Equal sides and right
angles.
Eye: Perspetive projection
Reverse: Topless pyramid
change of shape

Cube looks distorted, on

face smaller than the
other.
Depth is paradoxical
Reverse: No Change

Ambiguous Figures

Cube does not look like a

cube.
Eye:

Near face is same

size as far face

Reverse: Topless pyramid

further face always looks
larger

Necker Cube. No face is

front or back by
perspective
Depth is paradoxical
Reverse: No change

Ambiguous Figures
Possible views:
Cube with corner missing
Box in corner of room
Small cube infront of large
cube

3 in 1 Illusion

Ambiguous Figures
Cube / Room

Possible views:
3D Cube
Corner of Room