A Brief History of Reverse
Perspective
The terms
"reverse perspective," "reverspective" and
"perverspective" are used synonymously to refer to an illusion of depth
perception caused by the inversion of depth cues in a 3-D relief artwork. The
basic effect of the illusion was studied by Mach in the 19th Century and is
usually discussed under the category of Trompe l'Oeil ("fooling the
eye"). The related phenomenon of bas-relief masks (cameos) and their
reversal (intaglio, "carving" or "mold") has been known
since the 14th Century, and studied by psychologists. For nearly two decades,
the British artist, Patrick Hughes, has
specialized in this illusion. He invented the word "reverspective" to
describe this effect and his remarkable works can be found scattered in museums
and galleries throughout the world. Related reverspective illusions are also to
be found in science museums, often constructed as large installations.
For anyone who
has not seen a reverspective, there remains in life the surprise of a truly
novel visual experience. The illusion is simply stronger, more persuasive and
more fun than any of the 2-D illusions that fill the psychology textbooks. Like
Escher's famously impossible etchings, in the hands of a capable artist, the
fascination of the reverspective illusion does not fade upon understanding what
is happening, but strikes anew with every viewing. In the words of a noted art
critic, Sarah Longacre, "Reverspective is like eating peyote, and suddenly
seeing the world in a new way."
Hughes has been
producing reverspectives since 1989 and his one-man shows since the early 1990s
draw huge crowds. So, does an artist who invents a new visual genre that delights
the viewing public become the toast of the modern art world? Hardly. Impressed
by neither psychological profundity nor popularity, the critics dismiss
reverspective as "trick art". Go figure.