optical phenomenonWikidata
Anamorphosis
Also: anamorphic projection, distorted perspective, oblique art, catoptric anamorphosis, perspectival illusion, anamorph
The optical principle underlying Jonty Hurwitz's sculptural practice, in which a deliberately distorted image or form resolves correctly only from a privileged viewpoint.
Definition
Anamorphosis is a projection technique in which an image is deliberately distorted so that it resolves into its intended form only when viewed from a specific angle or reflected in a curved mirror. Used since the Renaissance — most famously in Hans Holbein's The Ambassadors — it relies on a precise geometric mapping between the distorted and resolved views.
Discussion
Anamorphosis is an illusionistic technique in which a distorted projection or drawing appears normal only when viewed from a specific vantage point or with a special instrument. A celebrated early example is the obscured skull in Hans Holbein the Younger's painting 'The Ambassadors' (1533). It is the core optical principle underlying Jonty Hurwitz's sculptural practice, where distorted forms resolve into coherence from a privileged viewpoint.
