 oscar reutersvÃ¤rd (november 29, 1915 â february 2, 2002), widely acknowledged as "the father of the impossible figure", was a swedish graphic artist who in 1934 pioneered the art of 3d drawings which may initially appear feasible, yet cannot be physically constructed. ==biography== born on november 29, 1915 in stockholm, sweden, he reportedly suffered from dyslexia and had difficulty estimating the distance and size of objects. but his family was artistic, and encouraged his painting and sculpture efforts at home. ==work== reutersvÃ¤rd's originality appeared early in his career - at the age of 18. in 1934, the school student created a figure, the "impossible triangle", composed of a series of cubes in perspective. "the triangle at first seems like the simple geometrical shape with which all schoolchildren are familiar. however, as the eye tries to follow its outlines, the triangle abruptly becomes a dizzying experience as its bottom link plays havoc with the brain's intuitive knowledge of physical laws." according to world of mathematics, 2006, published by thomson gale. this very triangle was chosen in 1982 by the government of sweden as the subject of a 25 Ã¶re postage stamp. in 1937, he created his first impossible stairs, and the concept that would lead to the impossible fork. subsequently, he focused on academics. in 1958, he read the now classic article by lionel and roger penrose on impossible objects,british journal of psychology, impossible objects: a special type of visual illusion, by lionel and roger penrose, volume 49, issue 1, pages 31â33, february 1958 which included the triangle and staircase that the british father and son team had developed independently. one artist inspired by the penrose article was m.c. escher - who produced two prints of impossible buildings in 1961 and 1962. the application of the concepts he originated over 20 years prior, by serious mathematicians and artists, rekindled reutersvÃ¤rd's interest. by 1963, he had created several new and original impossible figures, and was featured by a gallery in stockholm. he would create his figures with india ink on japanese rice paper, drawing freehand, without a ru
1915_births 2002_deaths Artists_from_Stockholm Impossible_objects Lund_University_faculty Swedish_artists Swedish_nobility