Witnessing one of Kurt Wenner’s large-scale public pieces requires altering your perception a little bit — or a lot. Wenner’s huge optical illusion murals create a dizzying sensation of standing at the edge of a cliff and looking down onto strange and fantastical landscapes.
Using carefully manipulated perspective and scale shifts, Wenner creates the illusion of objects at different depths — all created on a flat surface.
In this piece, The Flying Carpet, the carpet (and the kids) are actually the only things Wenner didn’t create. This piece was made for the Corpus Domini celebration in Bettona, Italy.
He also uses the natural surroundings to make the pieces seem all the more lifelike.
In Dies Irae, in Mantua, Italy, the paving stones of this plaza are incorporated into the design.
Though he hails from the U.S., Wenner spent many years in Italy, and the works of the old masters and the classical architecture of the country inspired his work. The solid forms, dramatic lighting, and technical details all reflect this. And when it comes to accurate depictions of objects and space, he’s an expert; he used to work for NASA as a scientific illustrator before dedicating himself to art full time.
The Moneypit, Waterloo Station, London
Many of the pieces in public places, like this one in London’s Waterloo Station, also include opportunities for viewers to pose with, and in, the compositions. This man, for example, appears to be balanced atop a column in The Moneypit.
On his first trip to Italy, Wenner was immediately enamored with Renaissance art and architecture, and sought the same detail and technicality in his own work. He was especially inspired by the optical illusions created for ceiling frescoes, which create the illusion of open space on a solid ceiling. However, he decided to look in the opposite direction and create the illusion of depth. This works better for him, though, as many of his pieces are in outdoor spaces.
Smoothie, Boston, MA
Wenner doesn’t just make these pavement pieces. He also creates paintings and drawings, all with the same strong Renaissance influence you see in these pieces. You can check them out on his website, and see some of his stories of artistic development on his blog.
