Hidden images: Games of perception, anamorphic art, illusion : from the Renaissance to the present. This item is unavailable.Hidden images: Games of perception, anamorphic art, illusion : from the Renaissance to the present

The mysteries of vision-of optical illusion-are endlessly fascinating. We enjoy the tricks our eyes play on us, we delight in looking at objects through water, seeing ourselves in the fun house mirror, viewing Op.Art. Among the most baffling and entertaining illusions are those created by anamorphic distortion. By sophisticated application of the laws of perspective, pictures can be stretched and distorted beyond recognition, remaining "unreadable" until they are viewed from a special angle or with the aid of a suitably reflecting surface. This book grew out of an extraordinarily successful exhibition in Amsterdam. In its pages we can play the game of perspective distortion in the company of such artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Hans Holbein, Caravaggio, and Carracci, and follow its progress through the centuries to the present day. We learn how the laws of perspective operate and how various kinds of anamorphic distortions can be created from normal pictures.