An artwork drawn on the walls, ceiling and floor of a long corridor, when viewed from a specific angle, creates an illusion as shown in the image on the left. Which option correctly depicts this artwork as seen from the opposite side of the corridor?
Show Hint
In anamorphic art problems, remember that the illusion is view-dependent. To predict the view from the opposite side, imagine that the parts of the image that were furthest away are now closest, and vice versa. The illusion will be inverted and will no longer look "correct".
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question tests the understanding of anamorphic art and perspective. Anamorphic art is a distorted projection that appears normal only when viewed from a particular vantage point. The question asks us to predict how this distorted image would look when viewed from the opposite end of the corridor.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Deconstructing the Illusion: The illusion (a circular virus shape) is created by painting distorted shapes on the surfaces of the corridor. The circular part of the virus is painted on the far end wall. The long spikes are painted along the side walls, floor, and ceiling, stretching from the far wall towards the viewer. These stretched shapes are foreshortened by perspective to look like normal spikes.
Reversing the Perspective: When a viewer moves to the opposite end of the corridor, their perspective is reversed.
The far wall, where the circular face is painted, is now right in front of them (on the floor/wall at their feet). The shapes painted there will now appear very large and distorted because they are being viewed up close.
The long, stretched spikes that were painted on the side walls will now appear to recede into the distance towards the new "far end" of the corridor.
Evaluating the Options:
Option A and C show the illusion still trying to form a circle, which is incorrect. The illusion only works from one direction.
Option D shows an inverted perspective, but the shapes are not consistent with the original artwork.
Option B correctly depicts the reversed view. The large red shapes, which are parts of the virus's spikes, are now closest to the viewer and appear large and dominant at the entrance of the corridor's view. The rest of the pattern recedes away into the distance, completely breaking the original circular illusion.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Option (B) correctly shows how the artwork would appear when viewed from the opposite side of the corridor.
