Anamorphosis before 1583. "The Ambassadors" (c. 1533) by Hans Holbein the Younger is well known for the prominent oblique anamorphic transformation in the painting. In this artwork, a distorted shape lies diagonally across the bottom of the frame. Viewing this from an acute angle transforms it into the plastic image of a human skull. The painting is regarded as a "vanitas" - a meditation on the transience of life - with the skull a symbolic "memento mori". The altered perspective required to see the image reflects the contemporary practice of painting skulls on the reverse of otherwise tranquil paintings. Four centuries
The Gilded Cage (Evelyn De Morgan painting) The Gilded Cage (Evelyn De Morgan painting) The Gilded Cage is an oil painting by Evelyn De Morgan, with apparent stylistic influences of spatial representation from Surrealist modes of thought. It was her final work before her death in 1919. It is essentially an allegory for female hypnotic delirium. In this painting, a woman "looks out" from what seems to be a window that may, in fact, be a scene from a mural painting within the greater composition with her hand stretched out and up in a gesture of yearning. She is looking at what may be compared to a