3D Art on the Streets

Based on a theme, playing with the characteristics of the environment... The artists who create these works play with perspective and try to generate abysses and depressions on the pavement, giving the sensation that, if you take another step, you will fall into the void. In addition to the sidewalks, murals also participate in this type of three-dimensional painting that sometimes seems we can even walk through them.

The works are painted with chalk on the asphalt, creating an optical illusion when viewed from the correct angle, a viewpoint predetermined by the artist that gives their creation a proportional shape. This way, they manage to achieve very realistic three-dimensional illusionistic effects that have the power to deceive the eyes of passersby. They make walking through the city an artistic experience.

In this form of art, which began to spread from the 1980s, there are some artists such as Kurt Wenner - credited with the invention of 3D pavement art based on anamorphic projection - Julian Beever, Edgar Müller, Leon Keer, Joe Hill, or Manfred Stader.

This movement brings together artists from around the world at the Chalk Festival 2016, a festival held in Venice, Sarasota County, Florida, taking place from November 11 to 14, which will be a great opportunity to discover this art up close.

Here we present a selection of 21 paintings created in different parts of the world that give the impression, on flat asphalt, of either popping out from the sidewalk or sinking into it.