Questionable Symbolism
Bozeman, Montana
2026
This sculptural piece seems to be designed to represent some important symbolism. But I searched around and found nothing describing the shape in any meaningful way, except perhaps as a vague takeoff of a traditional Chinese bi disk, made out of wood rather than jade. But that seems a bit of stretch, especially for a $12 Ross Dress for Less store purchase that’s been sitting around our house for years. Still, I’m quite intrigued by the design, symbolic or not.
This sculpture is one that provides an optical illusion of the figure/ground type. I can shift my vision of it so the inner circle is going “in” or the inner circle is going “out”. In the first case, the image is a tunnel. In the second case it is a bulging eye. Intriguing!!
I kind of see that effect, but since I know what it’s actual shape is, it’s harder for my eyes/mind to see otherwise.
Then again, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar…
Yes, exactly.
I wonder…is it only photographs that accidentally create these optical illusions? Would a painter create an image that inadvertently became an optical illusion? Feel free to treat these as rhetorical questions! 😉
I think a painter could easily create an inadvertent optical illusion. My fingertip knowledge of art is lacking as far as such examples but putting the question to a chatbot brought a number of examples. Many were very subtle or not detectable at all to my eye, Leonardo da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks was one of the more obvious ones to me. My chatbot friend had this to say about it:
Accidental effect:
The cave formations behind the figures can flip between bulging rock and hollow recess.
Why it happens:
Leonardo’s sfumato softens edges so much that the brain can’t anchor the geometry, producing a depth reversal.
Intent:
He wanted atmospheric mystery, not a concave/convex ambiguity.