Form: Depth Art in depth Artists use many tricks to mimic our visual experience in the "real" world and heighten the illusion of physical depth in their work. The simplest way artists indicate depth is with overlapping objects. When we see one object overlapping another, we perceive that one object is in front of the other one. Test your depth perception Consider the following three figures: The first appears to be two-dimensional; it is not clear to our eyes that the circle is a separate object that lies on top of the square, so we tend to see the two as part of the same flat figure. The second figure is ambiguous. Since the circle lies partially outside the square, we might see it as a separate and overlapping shape. But since the circle and square have such a geometrically balanced relationship to each other (the corner of the square hits the center of the circle), we might also see the two shapes as a single flat pattern. The third image shows two clearly overlapping shapes. The relationship between the circle and square is not balanced. It is deliberately off-balance, and our eyes tend to resolve this off-balanced state (or visual tension) by detaching the circle from the square, and perceiving one as overlapping the other. A trick of the eye The three examples above illustrate the basic principle of perception: we always look for the simplest explanation of a visual experience. We see the first figure as two-dimensional and the third as three-dimensional because these are the simplest ways to make sense of these arrangements of shapes. The next three figures illustrate this principle in more detail: First, look at the image on the left. We could read it as one rectangle overlapping another, or as a rectangle next to an L-shaped object. Our eyes tend to go for the simplest visual option: we see two overlapping rectangles, and we experience depth rather than flatness. What about the second image? Again, we automatically choose the simpler explanation; we see this as a regular rectangle overlapped by a rectangle with a corner missing, instead of two rectangles with corners missing that are fitted together. One regular and one irregular shape are a simpler combination for us to perceive than two irregular shapes. The third image has a delightful ambiguity. Is this a rectangle with an L-shaped figure partially overlapping it, or two L-shaped figures dancing cheek-to-cheek, or a rectangle with a slit that allows part of it to overlap the other rectangle? None of these is clearly the simplest solution, so our interpretation shifts — adding a sense of dynamism to the image. The links below will lead you further into a discussion about space. Dimension Perspective Other solutions Next: Perspective