Product Details
Masters of Deception: Escher, Dali & the Artists of Optical Illusion

Masters of Deception: Escher, Dali & the Artists of Optical Illusion
By Al Seckel

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Product Description

Rings of seahorses that seem to rotate on the page. Butterflies that transform right before your eyes into two warriors with their horses. A mosaic portrait of oceanographer Jacques Cousteau made from seashells. These dazzling and often playful artistic creations manipulate perspective so cleverly that they simply outwit our brains: we can’t just take a quick glance and turn away. They compel us to look once, twice, and over and over again, as we try to figure out exactly how the delightful trickery manages to fool our perceptions so completely. Of course, first and foremost, every piece is beautiful on the surface, but each one offers us so much more. From Escher’s famous and elaborate “Waterfall” to Shigeo Fukuda’s “Mary Poppins,” where a heap of bottles, glasses, shakers, and openers somehow turn into the image of a Belle Epoque woman when the spotlight hits them, these works of genius will provide endless enjoyment.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #17695 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-08-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 320 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[G]reat full page pictures, and just plain fun to browse.” —Library Journal
“Children will find pleasure in [this] book, alongside their parents.” —Wall Street Journal

Customer Reviews

...but I know what I like.5
Here it is - the coffee-table book of eye-twisters!

Don't misunderstand, here - it's not the complete works of Escher, with all the best Dali and a couple of others thrown in. This volume contains only a very few examples of the most powerful works of a handful of major mindtwisting visual artists.

No, it's not just a gallery. Instead, what we have are explanations - the "why?" of Escher, the "what?" of Dali, and the "how the -?" of modern shadow-sculptures. (The sailing-ship of scissors on the back must be seen.) The origins and evolution of the school of illusion are described in detail, but in such a way that the reading is far from dry.

Buy it. You won't regret it.

Great Book but incomplete4
The other reviewers are on the mark but there are 2 regrettable omissions:
1. The Art of Bev Doolittle.(???) In my opinion her work easily outshines several of the artists in the all male lineup chosen for the book. What was he thinking?
2. A CD containing moving pictures. After the book was published the author created this web site:
http://neuro.caltech.edu/~seckel/mod/
Where he explains:
"There are a number of incredible artistic works featured in Masters of Deception, which require movement to appreciate their full impact. Additionally, I had in my possession various interviews with some of the book's featured artists that I wanted to share with my readership. Unfortunately, the publisher was unwilling to produce a CD to accompany the book. I have created this web site, therefore, to augment and enhance the reader's experience by presenting those works and interviews that I could not present in book form."
Don't miss this web site.

Not just another art book5
This is a beautiful and amazing book. Twenty artists are represented. They are not only superb artists but also Leonardo da Vincis in their cleverness. A piece of complete junk, when looked at from another angle, turns out to be a miniature grand piano. You will spend hours on not only the art but on the brilliantly clever images.And the book directs you to web sites for further exploration. The most enchanting art book I have ever seen--and at the price, it is a steal. BUY IT!!!