Assignment 4

    In the article "A Perspective on 3D Illusions", they address the way in which our brain interprets certain visuals to be something that they are not. It is explained that even though our sensations feel accurate and real, they do not necessarily reproduce the physical reality of the outside world. "Visual illusions are defined by the dissociation between physical reality and subjective perception of an object or event. When we experience such an illusion, we may see something that is not there, or fail to see something that is there, or even see something different from what is there." (Paragraph 3) This is due to a disconnect between perception and reality in the brain. 

    They go on to explain how this idea is prevalent in art. An example is how a painter can make paint on a canvas appear to be a realistic image by using techniques such as shading, lighting, and color. This can also be demonstrated through architecture, such as with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The concept behind this illusion is that when two of the same image are side-by-side of the same tilted and receding object, the object appears to be leaning in two different directions. This illusion explains how the visual system uses perspective to reconstruct three dimensional objects.  It is explained that the brain uses the convergence angle of two reclining objects as they recede into the distance to calculate the relative angle between them, making it appear slanted. 

    The article also touched upon the subjectivity of color, brightness, and shape, and how the process of our brains processing sensory information varies based on each individual's brain circuits. How each brain experiences the color, brightness, and shapes presented in our environments may or may not accurately match reality, and visual illusions really encompass how interpreting this information is subjective.

    Personally, I really enjoyed this article. Before reading, I wasn't aware of the illusion behind the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is amazing to me how our eyes can play tricks on us so effectively that it appears to be reality.  I thought it was interesting that the article tied visual illusions into artists' realism. Normally, when one thinks of optical illusions they think about the abstractness of the illusion, but artists incorporate illusions into their work of art in order to simulate reality. Overall, this was my favorite reading to date.