Blom J D
Tijdschr Psychiatr. 2020;62(5):376-384.
The name Maurits Escher is inextricably linked with the notion of 'optical illusion', a type of illusion evoked by his 'impossible figures'. Despite the sober style in which he realised these figures, they go on to mesmerise generations of art lovers. It is unclear what causes this, and whether other factors than aesthetic ones are involved.
AIM: To gain insight into the genesis of optical illusions in Escher's work, and in the role of the perceptual system in that process.
METHOD: An explorative literature search in PubMed, Science.gov, Google Scholar, and the historical literature.
RESULTS: Since 'impossible figures' cannot be found in our natural environment, and therefore have a high novelty factor to the brain, they inevitably draw our attention. The reason that we remain captivated, is at least partly associated with the fact that the hippocampus and parahippocampal place area come into conflict with each other, and (in vain) accept the challenge to find a 'best fit'.
CONCLUSION: Fundamental research may benefit from Escher's 'impossible figures' to fathom the rules of our visual grammar. The optical illusions they evoke moreover constitute an ongoing source of inspiration for other artists, architects, and film makers.
莫里茨·埃舍尔（Maurits Escher）这个名字与“视觉错觉”的概念紧密相连，他的“不可能图形”引发了这种错觉。尽管他创作这些图形的风格较为质朴，但它们却令一代又一代的艺术爱好者着迷。目前尚不清楚造成这种现象的原因，以及除美学因素外是否还涉及其他因素。
目的：深入了解埃舍尔作品中视觉错觉的起源，以及感知系统在这一过程中所起的作用。
方法：在PubMed、Science.gov、谷歌学术以及历史文献中进行探索性文献检索。
结果：由于“不可能图形”在我们的自然环境中不存在，因此对大脑来说具有很高的新奇性，它们不可避免地吸引了我们的注意力。我们之所以一直为之着迷，至少部分原因是海马体和海马旁回区域相互冲突，并（徒劳地）接受挑战去寻找“最佳匹配”。
结论：基础研究或许能从埃舍尔的“不可能图形”中受益，以探究我们视觉语法的规则。它们所引发的视觉错觉更是为其他艺术家、建筑师和电影制作人提供了源源不断的灵感。
