Chapter 13 - Optical Illusions In Architecture

Many illusions are found in architecture. Many of these were recognized long before painting developed beyond its primitive stages. The classic Greek architecture displays a highly developed knowledge of many geometrical illusions and the architects of those far-off centuries carefully worked out details for counteracting them.

Drawings reveal many optical illusions to the architect, but many are not predicted by them. The ever-changing relations of lines and forms in architecture as we vary our viewpoint introduce many optical illusions which may appear and disappear. Any view of a group of buildings or of the components of a single building will exhibit some optical illusions. In reality we never see the same relations of lines, forms, colors, and brightnesses as indicated by the drawings or blue-prints. Perhaps this is one of the best justifications for the construction of expensive models of our more pretentious structures.

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Optical Illusions In Architecture, Columns Optical illusions in architecture.

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