The Dome That Was Never Built
Antonino Emanuele
A flat ceiling opens into a convincing dome, entirely through paint.
EXPLORE THE DEMONSTRATION
Scattered yellow marks join into three complete rings from one viewpoint.
Open the artist’s sequence of photographs. Compare an aligned view with an off-axis view and find which structures carry parts of the yellow rings.
Open the source demonstration ↗Architectural illusions / 2007
Three Ellipses for Three Locks
Scattered yellow marks join into three complete rings from one viewpoint.
TRY THIS
Open the artist’s sequence of photographs. Compare an aligned view with an off-axis view and find which structures carry parts of the yellow rings.
FOLLOW THE SOURCES
History, evidence & image credit
Frequently asked questions
What is Three Ellipses for Three Locks?
Scattered yellow marks join into three complete rings from one viewpoint.
What should I look for in Three Ellipses for Three Locks?
Open the artist’s sequence of photographs. Compare an aligned view with an off-axis view and find which structures carry parts of the yellow rings.
What explains Three Ellipses for Three Locks?
The painted fragments occupy different depths but line up in the image seen from a chosen position. Move away and each fragment shifts relative to the others, breaking the apparent figure. The architecture becomes the support for an anamorphic image.
Another way to see it
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A Dome Painted onto a Vault
Andrea Pozzo
A painted cupola makes an existing vault seem to open upwards.