‘Pareidolia’: The Genius of Giuseppe Arcimbolo,
and the Art of Seeing What’s Not There
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Not exactly a household term, ‘Pareidolia’ can hardly be said to be in common usage, it is however the word ascribed to a fairly common phenomenon enjoyed by many of us whereby we see faces where none exist.
I had never really given the matter much thought until I came across a BBC article back in May of 2013. I think it well worth a read if you share my interest in the subject, therefore I have posted the link below.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22686500
Now, let’s hear Wikipedia’s take on it:
Wiki’s Pareidolia Page
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And so to begin with today, as Pareidolia figures so prominently in my sculpture, I thought that we would take a look at the work of Giuseppe Arcimbolo, one of my favorite Pareidolian Painters.
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Giuseppe Arcimbolo
1526 → 93
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Now, let’s take a step closer for a better look, and see just what you were actually seeing.
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To my mind Giuseppe Arcimmbolo presents the masterful ability in encouraging the human brain to do what it does best: make sense out of chaos. And what style, technique and courage he shows through the sheer force of his painting. There’s a simple beautiful, savage, timeless truth about it all. And best of all most of it is going on inside the viewer’s own head.
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Let’s begin with water.
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You’ll have to let me know just what your mind makes of the following images.
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Limestone
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Colorado Yule Marble
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I aim to ignite ideas in the mind’s eye of each viewer, rather than present images served up on a platter. For each of us is equipped with an abundance of imagination, and each will draw our own unique conclusions as to exactly what it is they are seeing. I’m always fascinated by just what appears to people within the framework of my sculpture.
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∩η∂®±ÏΠ
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