A Remarkable Depth Confusion in Images of the Incomplete Statues of Bruno Catalano.

Rob Van Lier,Vebjørn Ekroll

doi:10.1177/2041669519895990

Abstract

Images of Bruno Catalano’s sculptures of incomplete bodies give rise to a remarkable depth confusion in which the background is partly pushed to the front. We argue that this confusion is related to what happens in the Kanizsa square, although the effect in the images of Catalano’s sculpture appears to be driven by knowledge-based processing.

Highlights

L described by Ramachandran (1986), who showed that under specific conditions, a textured background can be “captured” by an illusory square
This ambiguity in itself is of interest and adds to the aesthetic value of the incomplete statues, a phenomenon that relates to the effect of semantic instability in aesthetic appreciation
The induced illusory depth order in the Catalano statues, less stable, is related to what happens in the well-known Kanizsa square (Figure 2; Kanizsa, 1955, 1979), where the white inner square seems to be pushed forward, allowing an interpretation of four completed disks that are partly occluded by a white square

Summary

Introduction

L described by Ramachandran (1986), who showed that under specific conditions, a textured background can be “captured” by an illusory square (see van Lier, de Wit, & Koning, 2006). Background.1 This ambiguity in itself is of interest and adds to the aesthetic value of the incomplete statues, a phenomenon that relates to the effect of semantic instability in aesthetic appreciation (so-called SeIns, as put forward by Muth & Carbon, 2016).

Results

Conclusion