Author: Gianni Sarcone

Mondrian Meets… (My Tribute To Mondrian)

Gianni Sarcone

Here are two projects involving the geometrical-constructive art of Piet Mondrian, one of my preferred artists, the golden ratio and ϕ. For this purpose, I used the same color palette favored by Mondrian: yellow, red, blue, black and gray.

Mondrian meets Pythagoras and Fibonacci

In the first project, I used squares, that are proportional to each other by the golden ratio or ϕ, to prove the Pythagorean theorem as shown in the Zhoubi Suanjing (or Chou Pei Suan Ching – 周髀算經), one of the oldest Chinese mathematical texts (circa b.c. 200).

Zhoubi Suanking theorem Continue Reading →

DYNACUBE

Gianni Sarcone

An op art sculpture and/or a fidget puzzle to play with over and over!

“Dynacube” is a new line of 3D puzzles featuring my optical art. It isn’t just a puzzle but also a living piece of art. This 3D game is available in 4 distinct styles from Recent Toys: http://www.recenttoys.com/project/dynacube/
Dynacube is a fun game for kids and adults alike to practice their logical thinking and motor skills.

display

Display with 4 distinct styles of Dynacubes

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KINECHROMATICS: A new three-framed animation

Gianni Sarcone

Kinechromatics (patent pending) is a method of my invention for animating static images through retinal persistence and controlled interactions between additive and subtractive color systems. It produces apparent motion by sequential color filtering across layered chromatic structures, rather than relying on conventional frame-by-frame animation.

Kinechromatics static image

The static image above is made of 3 layers having each a different subtractive primary color (magenta, yellow, or cyan) blended in ‘multiply mode’…

What happens if we alternately overlay this image with transparent colored acetate sheets, each carrying an additive primary color (red, green, and blue)?

Kinechromatics red

Kinechromatics: red filter
When viewed through a red acetate sheet, the magenta and yellow components are largely absorbed, while the cyan layer remains visible, appearing black.

Kinechromatics green

Kinechromatics: green filter
Through a green acetate sheet, the cyan and yellow components are suppressed, revealing the magenta layer in black.

Kinechromatics blue

Kinechromatics: blue filter
Through a blue acetate sheet, the magenta and cyan components are reduced, allowing the yellow layer to emerge but appear black due to its lack of transmission in the blue range.

The animated GIF below produces a continuous motion effect using only four elements: a static base image and three full-color layers blended in multiply mode.

Kinechromatics animation

Colored light can also replace acetate filters, creating a seamless optical animation. Stroboscopic illumination in primary colors has the added effect of merging perceptually into white light, making the transitions visually smooth. This approach can be particularly effective in museum or gallery installations, offering a direct demonstration of how color interaction is processed by human vision. The setup consists of a static image containing the Kinechromatics pattern, illuminated sequentially by red, green, and blue projection, as shown in the animation below.

For inquiries about exhibition or collaboration, feel free to contact me.

projector

A second example, a simple animated dancing skeleton, demonstrates the same principle:

dancing skeleton

 

See also:

• Kinegrams

Frankenstein’s Dream: Hybrid Picture

Gianni Sarcone

Frankenstein Marylin

This intriguing image is taken from my book “Curiopticals“. Look at Frankenstein from a certain distance – approximately 2-3 meters, or 7-8 feet – and you will see what he is dreaming about. This type of illusion is known as a cryptic or hybrid optical illusion, and is produced by merging two subjects with different resolutions. The result is that one subject is hidden or suggested in the ‘host’ image. Continue Reading →

Dynamic Müller-Lyer Illusion

Gianni Sarcone
Prize illusion sarcone

I am very proud that my “Dynamic Müller-Lyer Illusion” won the third prize as best illusion of the year 2017!

As you surely know, the “BEST ILLUSION OF THE YEAR CONTEST” is a yearly competition under the patronage of Scientific American, organized by the Neural Correlate Company (New York, USA).

Müller-Lyer’s illusion proves that a segment can visually appear longer or shorter depending on the sense of the arrow heads at its ends. In what consists my variant? As shown in the animation, the red dot in the middle of the line is equidistant from the other two red dots, although the ends of the line visually appear to alternately stretch and shrink like a rubber band!

The radial version of the illusion is even more impressive:

The perceptual increasing and decreasing of the segments occurs in a very short time. Thus, I suppose it is more a physiological phenomenon, rather than a psychological bias. Our attention seems to be attracted by the receptive field WITHIN the V-shaped arrow heads, causing an illusory inward or outward shift of the ends of the line.

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THE FIRST GREATEST ILLUSION

Gianni Sarcone

The very first illusion is to believe that there is one, unique world of perception. The mind and the world we experience are inseparable, as it is the mind that makes the world meaningful. Our mind IS our world. Despite the fact that our mental construct of what is perceived is distinct from the objective reality, our mind accepts it as real.

Every organism, man as well as animal, lives in its own subjective spatiotemporal world that semiotic philosophers call ‘Umwelt’ (from the German Umwelt, ‘surrounding world’, or ‘life-world’). According to the biologist Jakob J. von Uexküll, organisms and their life-world shape each other in a functional loop (see fig. below): interactions between the subject and the outer world, mediated through the sense and effect organs, determine the world framework of the subject. Thus, a particular stimulus which has a perceptive cue or meaning to the subject induces always a purposeful reaction.

feedback loop of information

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Swedish Chiaro-Scuro

Gianni Sarcone

“Bathers”, incredible etchings by Swedish artist Anders Zorn (1860-1920). Zorn pursued light as the guiding principle of his art. The expression of light on the human form and his beloved homeland was the foundation of his work, and drove him with an intensity visible in the details from his multiple etchings.
Magnifiques eau-fortes (dessins au trait) par l’artiste suédois Anders Zorn.

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Breathing Hexagon

Gianni Sarcone

This is one of my earliest self-moving op art works (2003). Have a look at the static image above, don’t you have the feeling that the sets of lenticular shapes seem to expand?

This piece is accessible in various formats, including prints, posters, and t-shirts, through my art gallery shop.

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