The Venus Effect, A Fascinating Optical Illusion

Have you ever wondered why artists use mirrors in their paintings? It is not accidental. In fact , optical effects in works of art were and are a widely used resource used by artists. With them, they seek to stimulate your senses and make you linger for a while longer when you look at their paintings. One of these resources is called the Venus effect.

It is a technical resource. However, it goes beyond the fact of creating an impression. In fact, it is part of the psychology of perception. This applies to the way artists manipulate an observer of their works, so that they get the wrong impression of something.

This misconception means that what you see reflected in a mirror is not what it really looks like or what you expected to see.

Overestimation of what you see in the mirror and the venous effect

Mirrors themselves are extremely distinctive objects. They have a mysterious aura around them. Every day you see yourself and the surroundings reflected in them. In fact, it is in that reflection how much of the riddle lies. Because not everything is as it seems. In fact, people have some misconceptions about this simple and mundane object.

Ultimately, our understanding of mirrors tends to be somewhat wrong. At least that is what a study published in the European Journal of Cognitive Psychology claims . It deals with our tendency to overestimate what we see in the mirror.

Apparently you expect your reflection in the mirror before it actually appears. For example, if you are standing at a certain angle and not right in front of a mirror, you will more than likely anticipate errors when you first begin to see your reflection.

According to the study, this is known as early error. This means that, instead of taking into account the perspective, you think that the mirror can only reflect the part of the room that corresponds to the width of the mirror.

Several studies have studied this effect. One of them is published in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) . It claims that artists deliberately manipulate images to create the impression you get when you look at yourself in the mirror. In fact, some researchers have suggested that the heads depicted in the mirrors are too large for their faces. Furthermore, Venus should be at least half the size of the mirror.

Who is Venus watching?

The Venus effect involves a visual representation of a mirror. However, the mirror points to the viewer of the painting instead of the subject of the work of art. This strange effect has been used by artists such as Velázquez ( Venus with mirror ), Titian ( Venus with mirror) and Veronese ( Venus with mirror).

Our understanding of the reflections in the mirrors of these paintings is wrong. In fact, the venous effect refers to our self-centering by assuming that what the motif in a painting looks in the mirror is the same as what we see.

The most common misconception is to imagine that Venus is looking at its own reflection. The second is to imagine that they are looking at you. However, none of these assumptions are correct. Because they are really looking at the painter’s reflection.

Therefore, as the previous research we mentioned, concluded that if the artists had painted these images as they actually saw them, the effects would be less realistic. This surprising effect has also been used in film and television. It generates false perceptions and creates emotions. Finally, it makes you reflect on the extent to which what you see in a painting and a mirror is true.