One form of anamorphosis involves a deformed image that is painted on a flat surface, such as a sheet of paper.  When a cylindrical (or sometimes conical) mirror is placed in the appropriate spot, the deformed image is suddenly transformed into something recognizable.

In the example above by Hungarian artist István Orosz, a human eye and eye brow can be easily identified.  Without the mirror, however, it is difficult to tell exactly what the drawing on the paper represents.

A peaceful church beside a creek sits nestled among pine trees in this snowy landscape painted by Donald “Rusty” Rust.  Can you locate the ominous presence of a man among the landscape?

More of Rusty’s paintings can be viewed on his personal website at Rusty Art.

Stare at the image of Che Guevara below for at least 30 seconds and then look at a blank surface or close your eyes.  If you close your eyes, it can help if you look toward a light source such as a window or a lamp.  What do you see?

If you enjoyed this illusion, you may also want to revisit the Jesus illusion, which produces a similar effect.

Does it look like the woman in this photograph is standing on a flying carpet?

The shadow is from a flag and flagpole while the rug that the woman is standing on is firmly on the sand.  At first glance, it appears that the shadow and the rug are related to one another, giving the impression that the rug is somehow floating.

Does the gray bar on the left look exactly the same as the gray bar on the right?  Or does it seem to be lighter?

The gray bars are identical.  You can confirm this by covering up the black lines.  This color phenomena is called White’s illusion.

Optical artist Kaia Nao designed the following star that incorporates a peripheral drift effect applied to a random pattern.  Does it appear to be moving?

This illusion was selected to be a finalist in the 2012 Best Illusion of the Year Contest.

John Pugh is an American artist known for this large three-dimensional trompe l’oeil wall murals.  One of his most famous murals, titled Academe, was painted on a wall on the side of Alva P. Taylor Hall at Chico State University in California.  As a passerby, it appears that the wall of the building has crumbled to reveal pillars located inside the building.

This mural has become a landmark and tourist attraction of downtown Chico.

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