Is Magenta a Real Color?

Gianni Sarcone

Most of us are familiar with magenta — it’s a kind of purplish-red that exists between blue and red on color wheels (color wheels don’t accurately represent the physics of photons, but they represent the philosophical reality: color is a human construct that helps us interpret wavelengths to better understand our world).

The odd thing about color vision is that magenta (or pink) color is not in the spectrum of colors, meaning it cannot be generated by a single wavelength of light. Our brains interpret the color sensation of magenta/pink as ‘absence’ of green.

Source: https://www.archimedes-lab.org/Gallery/new_optical_illusions/pages/10n-Pink_rose.html

magenta

A simple real life illusion: the transparent knife!

Gianni Sarcone

Take a look at this photo — it almost looks like a “transparent” or “camouflaged” knife! I snapped it years ago at a magician’s party. The trick here is all about specular reflections. It’s a simple illusion, but surprisingly effective. When you place a knife blade between the tines of a fork, it reflects nearby objects, making the blade seem almost invisible.

Image taken from my book “Optical Illusions: An Eye-Popping Extravaganza of Visual Tricks“, available from Amazon.
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My Dossier on Visual Illusions: A Special Feature in Focus Magazine

Gianni Sarcone

For over 10 years, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Focus, an Italian monthly popular science magazine published in Milan.

In October 2020, Focus released issue #336, which featured my article and optical illusions. This special edition included a 10-page dossier on visual perception, showcasing over 13 original illusions I created, complete with explanations.

The cover of this issue also featured a unique effect I designed for Focus. As you read the main title, the cover image moves, and, intriguingly, the title changes depending on your perspective—read closely, and it says ILLUSIONI; look from a distance, and it transforms into COSA VEDI?

Focus Mag cover

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Inspiration

Gianni Sarcone

“Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour films, music, books, paintings, poems, photographs, conversations, dreams, trees, architecture, street signs, clouds, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work will be authentic… Don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it. Remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”

― Paul Arden
paul arden, whatever you think
From the book Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite.