| Impossible Objects - The Concept | | | | 1951) used illusionist approach to printing |
| Impossible Object, also known as an 'Impossible | | | | techniques, such as woodcutting and etching. Joes |
| Figure' or an 'Undecidable Figure,' is a | | | | de Mey (Belgium, 1928-2007) used Escher's ideas |
| two-dimensional drawing that creates an illusion of | | | | to depict impossible structures in his paintings. His |
| an 'actually non-existent' three-dimensional figure. | | | | paintings created an illusion by projecting |
| While in most cases, the impossibility becomes | | | | three-dimensional objects such that front, back, |
| apparent on viewing the figure for a few seconds, | | | | top, bottom, right, and left could not be clearly |
| However, the geometry of complex Impossible | | | | demarcated. |
| Objects has to be carefully examined to realize | | | | Guido Moretti (Italy, 1947), Tamas F. Farkas |
| their illusionary effect. The concept holds special | | | | (Hungary, 1951), Shigeo Fakuda (Japan, |
| relevance in the fields of psychology, | | | | 1932-2009) and Mathieu Hamaekers (Belgium, |
| mathematics, and art. | | | | 1954) are few other contemporary artists in this |
| The Artists & the Artworks | | | | genre. |
| Oscar Reutersvard (Sweden, 1915-2002) is known | | | | The Ubiquity |
| as 'the father of impossible figures,' for designing | | | | Although Impossible Object cannot exist in the |
| the first Impossible Object, an impossible triangle | | | | real world, the world of fiction is full of such |
| out of a series of cubes, in 1934. He created | | | | figures. Science fiction based movies and television |
| more than 2500 impossible figures in his career as | | | | serials make heavy use of such impossible figures |
| an artist. However, this concept was first | | | | to depict space stations, aliens, tinsel towns, |
| published in the British Journal of Psychology by | | | | castles, etc. Few of the umpteen examples in this |
| father-son duo Lionel Penrose (Britain, 1898-1972) | | | | genre are from Castrovalva (Doctor Who), The |
| and Roger Penrose (Britain, 1931). The article was | | | | Next Generation (Star Trek), 1963, Treehouse of |
| titled Impossible Objects: A Special Type of Visual | | | | Horror VIII (The Simpsons), Pokemon Platinum, |
| Illusion (1956), and employed the illustrations of | | | | and Labyrinth, No Meals on Wheels (Family Guy). |
| Penrose Triangle and Penrose Stairs. | | | | Computer and video games also have enormous |
| The art gained popularity among masses with the | | | | use of Impossible Objects. Few examples are |
| work of M. C. Escher (Netherlands, 1898-1973). His | | | | Diablo II, Echochrome, Realm of Possibility, and |
| first true Impossible Object drawing was 'Cube | | | | Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. |
| with Magic Ribbons' (1957). Belvedere (1958), | | | | Conclusion |
| Ascending and Descending (1960), and Relativity | | | | Due to their association with geometry and visual |
| (1953) are his other famous artworks. | | | | system, Impossible Objects are of equal interest |
| Sandro del Prete (Switzerland, 1937) added a new | | | | to mathematicians and cognitive psychologist |
| perspective to the illusory effects by using light | | | | across the world. The contemporary artists are |
| and shadow to create an Impossible Object. He | | | | experimenting with this art, as it still allures |
| called the process of optical delusions in his | | | | masses through its strong presence in the |
| drawings as 'Illusorism.' Istvan Orosz (Hungary, | | | | fascinating world of science fiction. |