Istvan Orosz (1951 – )

See Masters of Deception for complete biographical details and descriptive examples of Orosz’s work.

Movies Related to this Artist (Please be patient while the movies load)

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• A Magically Appearing Portrait of Jules Verne on the Mysterious Island (Etching with reflective cylinder, 1983 – 50 x 70 cm)
This is considered by many to be Orosz’s masterpiece of hidden anamorphosis, and it was his first attempt at using this technique for a hidden portrait. It depicts a shipwreck scene in the frozen North based on the novel “The Mysterious Island” by the famous 19th century French science-fiction author Jules Verne. The portrait is visible only when you look at the reflection on the cylinder when the latter is placed over the moon.

• The Well (Etching with reflective cylinder, 1998 – 58.5 x 45.8 cm)
This hidden anamorphic portrait in homage to M. C. Escher is based on a pictorial challenge originally given to Escher by his friend Bruno Ernst, but left unresolved because of Escher’s rapidly failing health. The challenge was to create a scene in which a mirror was placed to show the surrounding areas otherwise hidden from view. With the encouragement of Ernst, Orosz took up the problem and, imagining himself in the mind of Escher, explored some ways in which Escher may have approached it.

The print depicts the church at Atrani, visible only in a mirror strategically placed in a tangled garden with a break in its wall. However, Orosz went far beyond the original problem by creating the extra surprise of a hidden portrait of Escher that is revealed when placed over the well. The use of a curved mirror to portray Escher is particular appropriate, as Escher used a spherical mirror in some of his best-known prints, most notably his 1925 self-portrait, “Hand With Reflecting Sphere.”

• Self-Portrait of Escher in an Anamorphic Cylinder (Etching with reflective cylinder, 1998)
This anamorphic portrait was created for the Escher Centenary Congress celebrations held in Italy. It is based on one that Escher created himself.

• Greek Column (Etching with reflective cylinder)
Play the movie to see a Greek column anamorphosis by Istvan Orosz.

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