Aesthetic Perception: 3D Street Graffiti

At this point of the blog I have decided that rather than focus on non-western art forms, I will hone that topic in even more and write about non-traditional art forms.

For this first real post, the topic of interest is going to be 3D street art. One might be able to stumble across, and yes, I literally mean stumble across, one of these "murals" in a crowded city street or walkway. The graffiti artists who produce these illusionary works of art are known for being able to manipulate perception using angles, distorted shapes, and by creating a 3D image that seems to pop out of the 2D surface on which it is drawn. As stated, the manipulation of angles is entirely what gives this art form its main show of creativity. From the correct perspective, these images are drawn perfectly to scale and represent something amazing limited only by the artists creativity.

On the topic of artists, some of the most well known street painters are Edgar Mueller, Julian Beever, and Kurt Wenner. Although it isn't possible for any of their artwork to be purchased, there are companies that sponsor these artistic forms of graffiti. One work that Julian Beever would call his most difficult piece is a 3D rendering of Bumblebee from the hit series Transformers climbing out of what appears to be an underground subway staircase. Beever was sponsored by the Pepsi company to include a bottle of Mountain Dew in the robotic claws of this beloved 90's character.

The process of this art form is both time consuming- some designs take as much as 4 days from start to completion- and extremely difficult to perfect. One likely reason for this is because of the challenge of correct vertical perception. During an interview with Mueller, he stated "you may recognize that their extensions all meet at your feet," and also "That's the reason why every anamorphic street painting only makes sense from one specific spot - where all verticals meet." This characteristic differentiates from more traditional artwork in the way that not only does the detail and layout of the portrait hold significant like that of famous paintings, but also the perspective which the observer views the art.

Street graffiti is still a developing art form that has yet to be fully recognized. Whether it's just a simple chalk illusion or a full waterfall ironically created on River Street in Moose Jaw, Canada, this form of artistic impression entices the mind, the creativity, and the perception of all witnesses.