Artworks Whose Eyes Follow You Around the Room

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa painting is famed for having eyes that follow you around the room. The principles used in da Vinci’s paintings can also be applied to sculpture or paper-folding to create a hollow face illusion.


Hollow Face Illusions Videos:

These videos show a variety of hollow face illusions at work. As the camera operators move around the sculptures, the faces (sometimes just the eyes) turn to watch the viewer.

This sculpture is an artist’s rendition of St Francis. Though small, the bust of St Francis is an interesting piece, as no matter where you are in the room, St Francis has his eyes on you.

Even when rendered in 3D animation software, the hollow face illusion still has an essence of magic. The eye is tricked into believing that the heads are turning as the 3D model rotates.

How it Works:

Hollow face illusions are exactly what their name implies. The artist sculpts, carves or in the case of paper or origami art, folds the material to form a “hollow” face. The human eye is trained to see a face as being convex (bulging towards the viewer), that it naturally mistakes a concave face (bulging away from the viewer) as being convex. Small sculptures can be rotated horizontally and vertically to create the impression that the head displayed is turning from side to side or up and down. For large sculptures, the viewer can move around the sculpture, marveling at the supposed manner in which the face turns to follow the viewer around the room.

The face on the left is convex, and the face on the right is concave. From this angle, with the light coming from above, the illusion is easily broken.

Because the light source is apparent; the illusion created by this Buddha hollow face illusion is strong. The contrasting colors between raised and indented surfaces adds to the illusion.

This image of Einstein appears to be popping out of the background, but is it, really?

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa

The theories used in hollow face illusions and by da Vinci for the “Mona Lisa” are similar, but not exactly the same. Instead of creating a hollow face for Mona, da Vinci used perspective, contrast, shadows and shape to create the illusion that the Mona Lisa’s eyes turn to follow the viewer around the room. Da Vinci created a sketch called Proportions of the Face, which he used as a base for the proportions of the Mona Lisa’s face. The proportions created by da Vinci are based on the same mathematical principles as hollow face illusions, and create a similar effect.

The Mona Lisa is a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci that uses the hollow face illusion technique to make her eyes follow you around the room. [source]

Above are the working stages of the Mona Lisa painting, showing how da Vinci incorporated his sketch, Proportions of the Face, into the final Mona Lisa masterpiece. The reason why Mona Lisa's eyes seem to follow you around the room is a combination of light and shadows in the piece and layers upon layer of paint that give the painting a slight 3-Dimensional effect.


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Sedlec Ossuary: The Gothic Church of Human Bone

Tens of thousands of human skeletons adorn the walls and ceiling of Sedlec Ossuary, a Roman Catholic chapel in a small suburb of the Czech Republic.

The Roman Catholic chapel, Sedlec Ossuary, is home to between 40,000 and 70,000 human skeletons. These skeletons have been used to decorate the church with bone chandeliers, skeletal arches and large “bells”; piles of human bones with a hollow centre.

Above: Close-up of a’ bone bell’, showing the hollow which extends through the base of each bell. These bells contain the bulk of the human remains within Sedlec Ossuary. The bells sit in each corner of the ossuary, a testament to mass human suffering.

Above: Close-up of one of the many skull and cross bones within the ossuary.

The History of Sedlec Ossuary

In 1278, Abbot Henry of the Cistercian Monastery in Sedlec was sent to Palestine, considered by the Catholic Church as the Holy Land. He returned with a small amount of soil from Golgotha, which he scattered over the soil of the abbey cemetery. Because of this pious act, the graveyard soon became a popular burial ground for central Europeans.

Above: A chalice made from human bones stands on a pedestal in Sedlec Ossuary, framed by skull and crossed bones motifs.

A gothic chapel was built on the grounds of the cemetery between 1282 and 1320. A large vault, or ossuary, was built to house the bones that were exhumed during the excavation process.

Above: A depiction of Jesus Christ on the cross is surrounded by antique bones.

In the 14th century, the black plague ravaged central Europe, leaving thousands dead. It is believed that tens of thousands of bodies found a resting place within the holy burial ground of the monastery. The chapel later suffered a massive blow after a fire burnt everything but the outer walls.

Above: It is claimed that this chandelier contains every bone in the human body and was made from several skeletons.

Construction continued for many years, with a new entrance being added and the upper chapel being rebuilt in the early 18th century.
In 1870, The Schwarzenberg family hired a woodcarver, František Rint, to organize the heaps of bones that had collected in the Sedlec ossuary. In an attempt to give the bones a sense of order, Rint created artistic, macabre creations with the bones.

Above: The Schwarzenberg family coat of arms; created by Rint to honor his commissioners.

Above: Detail of the Schwarzenberg family coat of arms.

Above: Some of Rint’s creations are inexplicable. It is said that he attempted to portray the inevitability of mortality through his work.

Above: Rint’s creativity is apparent in this creation in which he has used a cracked human bone to create the bird’s head.

Sedlec Ossuary in the 21st Century

The Church of Bone, situated an hour’s travel outside Prague in the Czech Republic, in the province of Kutna Hora, is a popular tourist attraction that is listed in many tour guides.

Above: A statue of a cherub, a Christian figure of a baby angel, sits on top of an unlikely pedestal in the church of bone.

The ossuary has been featured on “Ripley”s Believe It Or Not’, and was used as a location for the Dungeons and Dragons movie. Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman visited the church in their documentary, “Long Way Round”.

Click here for a 360° view of the Sedlec Ossuary.


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UV Tattoos that are Invisible in Daylight

UV tattoos are invisible in daylight, only appearing when exposed to UV light, also known as black light. They are also called invisible tattoos, black light tattoos and glow tattoos.

How Invisible Tattoos are Made
UV tattoos are made using inks that are sensitive to ultraviolet light (black light). For a few days after the tattoo is made a small amount of scarring from the tattoo machine that shows where the tattoo is. Over time, the scars heal and the tattoo becomes invisible in daylight, glowing only under a UV or black light.

Above: This picture shows a recently finished UV tattoo. The ink is invisible, but the scarring from the tattoo machine has not yet healed.

UV tattoos are inked into the skin in exactly the same way that regular tattoos are. The only difference between a black light tattoo and a normal tattoo is the ink used. 

Above: UV tattoos are invisible in daylight, appearing only under UV light. Once the scarring from the tattoo machine has healed, the tattoo can’t be seen during the day.

Some color UV inks can be faintly visible in daylight, so white UV ink is the most reliable for use in invisible tattoos. In general, color UV tattoo ink is reserved for use with normal tattoo ink to highlight parts of the tattoo design. When used on its own, color UV ink can age to look like a skin problem or stain on the skin.

Above: A clever UV tattoo of the bone structure beneath the skin of the hand and arm. Biological tattoos such as this one, where the bone is "exposed", are an excellent use of white UV ink.

Above: An invisible tattoo of a jellyfish. In the wild, some jellyfish pulsate with a soft, glowing light, a natural phenomenon that is symbolized in this tattoo design.

Above: A tribal UV tattoo design on the hand. Because the skin becomes even darker under a black light, UV tattoos seem to be glowing even more than they actually are.

Above: This black light tattoo design shows a collage of glowing skulls. The artist has created depth in the design by shading with the UV ink. The darkest areas are simply places where the tattoo artist didn't apply ink.

Above: A koi fish tattoo design, in UV ink. The koi fish is a popular tattoo design that symbolizes beauty, wealth, elegance and freedom. The artist has outlined the tattoo with thick bands of UV ink to create contrast along the edges - defining the silhouette.

UV Tattoo Inks

There are a number of different colors of UV tattoo inks which can be used to highlight a regular tattoo, or, in the case of white UV tattoo ink, to create an invisible tattoo. Black light tattoo ink can turn yellow over time, revealing the tattoo design on the skin, which is why it is best to use UV tattoo ink as part of a normal tattoo.

Above: A selection of UV inks, displayed under a black light to show the glow effect of the ink. Some inks glow better than others; the purple ink, fourth from the left, doesn't shine as brightly as the white UV ink on the far left.

UV Tattoos Combined with Regular Tattoos

UV tattoo inks can be used to compliment regular tattoo inks, so that the tattoo art is visible both during daylight and under a UV light. Because regular tattoo ink doesn't glow under UV light, tattoo artists can create a greater depth of shading in black light tattoos by creating dark shades with normal tattoo ink, and highlights with UV ink. During the day, the UV ink highlights will simply be the color of the person's skin or of the regular tattoo ink beneath.

Above: Black ink has been used in this tattoo design to create strong outlines and contrast. The color UV inks add interest to the design by glowing under a black light.

Above: Color UV ink has been used to highlight only part of this tattoo design. The skulls have been inked into the skin with normal tattoo ink, while the flames have been colored with both normal and UV inks. Under a UV light, the flames glow, making the skulls seem more evil in their darkness.

Above: This tattoo artist has used UV ink to highlight the skulls in the design. Non-glowing elements in front of the skulls create the impression that the skulls glow with a magical, eerie light of their own.

UV Face Tattoos

Many people have chosen to have UV tattoos inked onto their face and hands, as the tattoos are invisible during the day when they are working. Over time, however, these tattoos will likely become slightly visible as the ink ages and turns yellow after being exposed to daylight. Thank goodness for tattoo removal procedures!

Above: A pattern of stars and dots adorn this girl's forehead in this face tattoo design. The tattoo design is created using white UV ink that will appear invisible unless under a black light. UV tattoos, especially those on the face, need to be protected from sunlight to prevent the ink from taking on a yellow hue that will ruin the "invisible" tattoo.

Above: UV tattoo ink has been used to create designs beside this girl's eyes. The patterns will only glow when exposed to a UV or black light, making it the perfect party make-up; invisible at work but  glowing at a party.

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Hundreds of Mummies Discovered in Mexican Graves

The Mummies Museum, El Museo De Las Momias, in Guanajato, Mexico, is home to over 100 hundred human mummies. The mummification was "accidental"; the bodies were not embalmed before death, but were mummified naturally after burial.

Above: The bodies in the Mummies Museum are displayed behind glass, creating an environment that helps to preserve the integrity of the human remains. As you can see in the picture above, many of the mummies are displayed in a standing position, creating an eerie effect for visitors. [source]

Mexico's Cholera Epidemic 

In 1833, Mexico suffered a cholera epidemic. Thousands of Mexican men, women and children fell victim to the plague. The law at the time stated that a grave tax had to be paid by the family of the deceased. If the grave tax was not paid, the human remains would be disinterred; dug up and stored, until the tax had been paid.
For the deceased who had no living relatives to pay the grave tax, this meant that between the years of 1865 and 1958, their bodies were exhumed and stored by the government. It was discovered that soil conditions and a dry climate in the area had naturally mummified many of the human corpses. In the early 1900s, these bodies became a tourist attraction, and cemetery workers began charging tourists an entrance fee to view the bodies. Many of the bodies have been reduced to little more than skin and bone, yet many of them still have facial features and expressions and even clothing, as the mummification process occurred before disintegration could begin.

Above: Some of the mummies are displayed in glass coffins, which keep the bodies dry and allow visitors to view the mummified remains. The bodies have not rotted under the ground. Instead they have dried out and become mummified. [source]

Above: The mummies are frozen in the position that they were buried in. Bent limbs mean the body slid around inside the coffin before burial. After being dug up by the Mexican government, the mummies were stored in warehouses while the government waited for burial taxes to be paid. The bodies that are displayed in El Museo De Las Momias are mummies who have no relatives to pay the grave tax for them. [source]

Buried Alive

Several of the mummies on display bear evidence of being buried alive. There were so many bodies to bury during the cholera epidemic that several sick and dying people were buried before they had died. Their faces have frozen, post-mortem, into a rictus of agony and despair. Some of those who were buried alive covered their faces with their arms, and others bear scratch marks on their bodies, caused by their struggle to escape their graves. These mummies create a macabre and creepy display.

Above: This mummy shows evidence of being buried alive. Having woken up in a mass grave, this person curled into a ball, covering their face with their hands. The mummy appears to be screaming or crying, an effect caused by the skin of the lips pulling away from the mouth as it dries. [source]

Mummified by Mistake

Not all of the corpses were caused by the cholera outbreak. Ignacia Aguilar suffered from a heart condition that caused her heart to stop for several hours at a time. One infliction of her condition caused her heart to stop for longer than usual. Presuming her to be dead, her family had her buried. After being disinterred, her body was found to be positioned in an unusual way. Aguilar had raised her arm to her face and had bitten into the flesh of her wrist. There was blood in her mouth and scratch marks on her forehead. It has been presumed that upon discovering herself buried alive and trapped, Ignacia Aguilar attempted to commit suicide. 

Above: Ignacia Aguilar, one of the most famous of the Museo De Las Momias mummies. This photo shows how Ignacia tried to commit suicide by biting into her wrists. [source]

Child Mummies

Mummies of children are rare, as most embalmed mummies are adults. El Museo De Las Momias houses a number of child mummies who were mummified naturally. Many of the child mummies still have their burial dress on, and while some appear to be peacefully at rest, others seem to despair at their state of mummification.

Above: A collection of child mummies at El Museo De Las Momias. These creepy displays attract thousands of visitors each year. [source]

Above: This mummified baby looks like a macabre doll. This infant mummy is part of a display that makes up the world's largets collection of child and infant mummies. [source]

Although only 2% of the exhumed corpses had undergone mummification, the Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato is still one of the largest exhibitions of natural mummification in the world. These mummies can be viewed at the Mummies Museum, El Museo De Las Momias, in Guanjuato, Mexico.

If you find these petrified people fascinating or just plain creepy, there's more skeletons in the closet in the article: Sedlec Ossuary: The Gothic Church of Human Bone

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