Conversational Calaveras 3: All is Vanity
Today we look into the world of optical illusions. We pay special attention to the art of Charles Allan Gilbert &#;All is Vanity&#; and how it has inspired a whole genre in art called &#;visual pun&#;.
The SKULL Optical Illusion that started it all:
&#;All is Vanity&#; by Charles Allan Gilbert ()
Charles Allan Gilbert (b. , died ), better known as C. Allan Gilbert, was a prominent American illustrator. He is especially remembered for a widely published drawing (a memento mori or vanitas) titled &#;All Is Vanity&#;. The drawing employs a double image (or visual pun) in which the scene of a woman admiring herself in a mirror, when viewed from a distance, appears to be a human skull. The title is also a pun, as this type of dressing-table is also known as a vanity.
All Is Vanity ()
Illustration by Charles Allan Gilbert
Image via Wikipedia
Def Leppard&#;s Retro Active album ()
Info from Wikipedia
Retro Active is an album by English hard rock band Def Leppard, released in The album features touched-up versions of B-sides and previously unreleased recordings from the band&#;s recording sessions between
Charles Allan Gilbert
Charles Allan Gilbert was a well-known illustrator.
Art Education
In Hartford, Gilbert studied art with Charles Noel Flagg, the founder of the Connecticut League of Art Students.
In , he enrolled at the Art Students League of New York. After two years, he moved to Paris where he studied at the Academie Julien.
Illustrator
Returning from Paris, Gilbert settled in New York where he began his career as an illustrator of books, posters, calendars, and magazines.
His work was frequently published in leading magazines including Harper’s and Atlantic Monthly. He illustrated numerous books including The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. He also published collections of his own drawings.
Animation
Gilbert was an early contributor to animated films. In , he worked with John R. Bray on the moving shadow plays, Silhouette Fantasies.
He invented and patented a form of motion pictures which combines live actors and animated drawings.
World War I
During World War I, Gilbert worked as a camouflage artist for the U. S. Shipping Board. He also illustrated posters for American wartime programs such as Liberty Bonds.
All is Vanity
This optical illusion is an &#;oldie but a goodie&#; and is worth having another look at. The drawing, entitled All Is Vanity, was created by Charles Allan Gilbert. Gilbert was a prominent American illustrator whose work appeared in magazines, books, posters, and calendars. Later, he went on to work on animated films and also served as a camouflage artist during World War I.
This drawing is no doubt his most famous and is the one that he is typically remembered for. The drawing itself is a double image that can be seen in one of two interpretations. The first is that of a woman in a dress looking at herself in a mirror. The second is that of a human skull. The skull becomes even more noticeable if the picture is viewed from afar.
The title of the drawing is an obvious pun. The woman is sitting at a vanity (a dressing table) looking in the mirror. As she seems to be admiring her beauty, she is also basking in her own appearance demonstrating her own vanity.
Tagged in charles allan gilbert, hidden, skull, vanity, woman
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Charles Allan Gilbert
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Charles Allan Gilbert () was a U.S. artist and illustrator. Gilbert studied art in New York City and Paris. He is most famous for his illustration All Is Vanity (), an optical illusion. Created when Gilbert was only eighteen years old, the drawing depicts what appears to be a large grinning skull. This work was sold in to Life Publishing Co.
Other works include:
- Woman Playing Piano (, charcoal and chalk on board)
- Woman with Rose (, pastel on canvas)
- Flattery
Erroneously attributed:
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Charles Allan Gilbert" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
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