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11/18/2003: Stuff That Doesn't Suck

The Work of Master Street Painter Kurt Wenner

pic-muses2 (31k image) pic-dies-irae2 (32k image)

Wenner, once employed by NASA as an "advanced scientific space illustrator," later moved to Rome to study classical art. He has been commissioned to do murals all over the world and is widely known for his mastery of the anamorphic technique. For more of Wenner's work, look here.

For more on Anamorphism, click "more."


Anamorphism

During the seventeenth century, Baroque decoration often used this style to combine actual architectural elements with illusionistic painting. When standing at a particular point in space, the architecture blends with the decorative painting, forming an extraordinary combined image for the viewer.

Wenner's anamorphic paintings are based on this principle. However, he has to create a special pictorial geometry that corrects the distortion caused by viewing his monumental images on the pavement form an oblique angle. Wenner's unique and innovative use of anamorphic perspective creates unforgettable images that combine the painted surface with its surroundings into a single composition.