AT FIRST glance, this floating butterfly looks like an oil painting on canvas but upon closer inspection the artwork is nothing more than an optical illusion.
Many have been left puzzled to find that the butterfly perching on the vibrant yellow flower is actually a naked woman covered in body paint.
At first glance, this beautiful butterfly just looks like an oil painting on canvasCredit: Caters News Agency
The artwork was made by talented Italian artist, Johannes Stötter, who spent hours painstakingly painting the woman’s curves to complete the masterpiece and create the stunning optical illusion.
Johannes, who is known as the ‘Master of the Unseen’ has spent years perfecting his technique and believes his most recent work – The Butterfly – is his best yet.
He said: “First, I made a small sketch of the position, just a drawing with a pencil. Then I tested the position with a real person.
“Afterwards, I created a bigger sketch and also added the colours and structures of the butterfly as I imagined it would look in the end.
The artwork was made by talented Italian artist Johannes StötterCredit: Caters News Agency
The artist spent hours painstakingly painting the woman’s curves into the flowerCredit: Caters News Agency
“Then I painted the background with the big yellow flower. At the end I did the actual body painting.
“So far everyone has reacted very positively and many people agree that this is my best artwork so far.”
Although stunning to look at, Johannes admitted the idea wasn’t an easy one to pull off.
He said: “The idea of the position happened quite suddenly and quickly, but the whole process was long and a lot of work.
“There are various challenging aspects such as finding the position and getting the model into position.
“Certain positions are also very challenging for the models.
“In my opinion though this is my best, or one of my very best works. I think it is a very beautiful picture, even if you don’t know that it is a body painting.”
The artwork’s model, Laura, needed to sit for the process five times and remain perfectly still for hours on end.
Johannes added: “When I designed it, I thought about who could fit in as a model.
“When Laura came to mind it was immediately clear for me that she was the right person.
“She is very nice, beautiful inside and outside and a strong, patient model.
“I think Laura loved being the butterfly. Even though she had to go through the whole process five times, she remained calm and patient and did a wonderful job.
“It is of course difficult to hold a position for a long time. Certain body parts get really challenged.”
Mind bending optical illusions can scatter your senses – what goes where? How is this limb connected to this person? Is this even real?
Check out these weird snaps, from four headed dogs to tiny pals.
And this collection of brain-scrambling photos will leave you scratching your head as you try to work out just exactly what is going on.
The idea wasn’t an easy one to pull offCredit: Caters News Agency
The artwork’s model, Laura, needed to sit for the process five times and remain perfectly still for hours on endCredit: Caters News Agency
The artist spent many painstaking hours painting the woman to seamlessly blend inCredit: Caters News Agency
Johannes believes this is his best artwork yetCredit: Caters News Agency
Getting the model into position was a challenging processCredit: Caters News Agency
Many have been left puzzled by the artwork’s end resultCredit: Caters News Agency
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education