This photograph is a good example of a literal optical illusion. These types of illusions create an image of something that is not reality. It plays with perspectives. It appears that a guy with a large head and small body is reaching over to hug his girlfriend. However, just the opposite is true.
The person standing is actually the girl. Her body is leaning over and wrapping around the right side of the guy who is sitting in the chair. Her head is completely hidden from view, except for some long hair and a peek at her nostrils, which you can see if you look closely. Do you see her?
The Classic “Café Wall” Optical Illusion
The Café Wall optical illusion falls under the category of distorting illusions. Similar to the artwork of Peter Kogler, it tricks the eyes into believing a flat surface has different characteristics. We know it’s hard to believe, but all these horizontal lines run parallel to each other. It is difficult to tell from the angle of this photograph, yet it’s true; the tiles are square.
What causes visual and cognitive confusion is twofold. First, it is the way the tiles do not line up exactly at their corners; each corner is off just slightly. Secondly, the use of visible mortar lines completes the illusion. The original locale, this pattern, was identified as an optical illusion that occurred at a local UK café in St. Michael’s Hill, Bristol.
What Is This?
We are going to go with an accordion selfie. An accordion selfie may be a selfie pose you have never heard of because we have never heard of it, either. But we feel like it's going to become a trend so watch out. The guy in front obviously told each guy down the line to progressively bend slightly toward the camera.
The effect is nothing short of spectacular. The head of the guy in front seems to replicate like some kind of self-replicating sci-fi creature. If they all sat straight again, his pose would return to a normal selfie, but where is the fun in that?
Whatever Floats Your Boat
This boat doesn’t even look like it’s afloat unless it is floating on air! It’s a whole new level of levitation. Or it’s just an optical illusion? The shadow under the boat is cast at the angle of the sun, while the water is so crystal clear that the surface level becomes invisible.
But, if you look at the rope that moors the craft, you will see it disappears into the water at the proper distance from the bow of the boat. Or, check out the guy at the back of the boat with his feet dangling in the water. Suddenly it all makes sense.
A Veil of Marble
Does this look like the work of one of our modern visual illusionists? Quite the opposite. This is a sculpture by Italian Rococo artist Antonio Corradini. He devoted years to this marble carving during the early 1740s without commission. The final work never even sold. What an incredible example of a finely-honed craft!
And to think that this was all carved out of marble by hand! Called The Vestal Virgin Tuccia, or Veiled Woman, it is now permanently housed in Rome at the Palazzo Barberini. His subject was an ancient Roman Vestal Virgin who was wrongly accused of lacking chastity.