title: The Art of Deception: Illusions to Challenge the Eye and the Mind
author:  Brad Honeycutt 
description: Seeing is believing, so they say. But Im betting they never saw <i>The Art of Deception: Illusions to Challenge the Eye and the Mind</i>.<br /><br /> More than a collection of optical illusions (though it surely is that), <i>The Art of Deception</i> features painting, photography and graphic design thats made to make you look twice. Or three times. These are works that scream out to you: Hold on a sec, all is not what it seems.<br /><br /> Take Liu Bolins photograph of a small wooded area near Beijing. Looks innocent enough, until you notice the sly presence of a man standing right in front of you. Is he painted to blend in? Is he transparent? Or Ben Heines photograph of a drawing that offers a birds eye perspective of a nest of what could be skyscrapers. A young man is holding the drawing in such a way that he seems to be floating above them, looking down into them. Or how about Nikita Prokhorovs tessellation art, in which figures are intertwined in what could be endless patterns? Or Oscar Reutersvards impossible figure designs?<br /><br /> Theres really almost too much here to marvel at, and your eyes will widen to amazed orbs as you take it all in. From Punya Mishras ambigram of the word good with the word evil embedded inside it, to Guido Danieles paintings of animals on hands, <i>The Art of Deception</i> is a brilliant study of how artists from across the globe see and bend the world around them. Its not so much a game, though it can be, as it is an interpretation of the world as they see it. Their juxtapositions surprise, then illuminate, and finally provide a-ha! moments that leave you smiling.<br /><br /> This wonderful book features a foreword by John Langdon, king of the ambigram, and bite-sized essays about each work of art. They dont give the secret of the work away, but each one offers a glimpse into the mind of the artist and a peek at what he or she is trying to accomplish within each piece.<br /><i>January Magazine</i>
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  Intentions
  
    
    
  THE DECAY OF LYING: AN OBSERVATION  
    
  [PEN, PENCIL AND POISON—A STUDY IN
  GREEN](Intentions_split_001.html#filepos80513)  
    
  [THE CRITIC AS ARTIST: WITH SOME REMARKS UPON THE
  
  
  IMPORTANCE OF DOING NOTHING  
    
  [THE CRITIC AS ARTIST—WITH SOME REMARKS UPON THE
  
  
  IMPORTANCE OF DISCUSSING EVERYTHING  
    
  [THE TRUTH OF MASKS—A NOTE ON
  ILLUSION](Intentions_split_002.html#filepos303319)
  
  
  
  
  
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  # Intentions
  
  
  ### Oscar Wilde
  
  
  This page copyright © 2003 Blackmask Online.
  
  
  http://www.blackmask.com  
    
  
    * THE DECAY OF LYING: AN OBSERVATION
  
  
  * [PEN, PENCIL AND POISON—A STUDY IN GREEN](Intentions_split_001.html#filepos80513)
  
  
  * [THE CRITIC AS ARTIST: WITH SOME REMARKS UPON THE
  
  
  IMPORTANCE OF DOING NOTHING
  
  
  * [THE CRITIC AS ARTIST—WITH SOME REMARKS UPON THE
  
  
  IMPORTANCE OF DISCUSSING EVERYTHING
  
  
  * [THE TRUTH OF MASKS—A NOTE ON ILLUSION](Intentions_split_002.html#file