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  • Study of the optical illusion

College of Letters, Department of Psychology, Professor Kitaoka Akiyoshi

It’s moving, but it’s not moving?Perfecting optical illusions is perfecting beauty.

A static image that appears to be moving. This is one type of optical illusion.
Although they are said to be illusions of the eye, it is really the brain that creates the effect.
By understanding the root of optical illusions, we begin to understand our visual perception.
Through his pursuits, Professor Kitaoka has discovered that the more you increase the effect of the optical illusion, the prettier the graphic becomes.
Most traditional optical illusions are simple line drawing, but Professor Kitaoka’s are colorful works of pop art.
Out of over 5,000 of these works, it was the graphic reminiscent of jagged sea urchin spikes that was chosen as album art for an overseas artist, and was thus seen the world over.
Going beyond the barriers of academics, Professor Kitaoka’s work has now become art.
But we still must understand what makes these optical illusions work, and what makes them so pretty.
And so, Professor Kitaoka continues to search out the mechanisms of optical illusions, and the perfection of beauty.