Illusions: Near and Far

For additional resources, see the Kohl’s Art Generation Online Lab & Gallery guide.

Every day, because we somehow know when something is close up or far away, we are able to navigate our world without bumping into tables and chairs, or to catch a fly ball.

But what our eyes see is different from what our brains understand. One of the ways our brains keep us from walking into things is through monocular (one eye) cues.

These are the same cues that artists use to fool our eyes and convince us we can step right into a painting when, really, it is just a flat piece of canvas. It took artists a long time to figure out how to fake us out!

This Kohl’s Art Generation Illusions: Near and Far site lets you explore the technology and techniques artists use to create the illusion of depth, of an object being near or far. Visit the timeline to learn more about the history of illusions, then make some art yourself in the artistic choice section!

If you’re interested in learning more about perspective and illusions, check out the books below!

• Eyewitness: Perspective by Alison Cole
• Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of Old Masters by David Hockney