Perceptual Realism

This text analyzes my interest in and my attempts at integrating perceptual effects into representational imagery for the purposes of artistic expression. Beginning with an explanation of the philosophical foundation I have come to adopt as an artist, Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, I explain the relationship Objectivism has to my studio practice. Next I analyze discoveries made in the field of Gestalt psychology as a means of scientifically understanding perceptual effects. These explanations are then tested by comparing them to examples of "Op Art"--designs famous for exhibiting these effects. I then discuss representational style by means of examples from the history of art under the lens of gestalt psychology. And lastly, I analyze my own successes and failures in my attempts to integrate these effects into my own representational artwork. An appendix documents my experiments in creating and understanding perceptual effects.