mind blowing 3d street art illusions

Photo courtesy of Manfred Stader

Using an art technique called trompe l'oeil (French for "deceives the eye"), pavement and mural artists can transform a neighborhood, turning commonplace buildings and sidewalk stretches into fanciful settings, such as an enormous, interactive bowl of wontons or a walkway-bisecting gorge. But, luckily for us, it's through a picture—taken at the right angle—that a trompe l'oeil artwork truly comes to life. Below, check out photos that capture some of the most mesmerizing temporary street art.

"The Crevasse" by Edgar Müller

Teal, Aqua, Azure, Freezing, Turquoise, Composite material, Ice, Boardsport, Fence, Extreme sport,

This celebrated German pavement artist is known for painting over urban areas to "give them a different look, thereby challenging the audiences' perception," according to the artist's website. This specific illusion required five days, the help of five assistants and 820 square feet of ground. Photo courtesy of Edgar Müller.

"A Cave in London" by Edgar Müller

Human, Infrastructure, Water resources, Public space, City, Pedestrian, Crowd, Water feature, Watercourse, Formation,

According to Müller's website, this painted cave illusion, which Edgar created for the West India Quay Festival in London during June 2009, is the first in a series called "The Cave Project." He created a second cave-related artwork in Germany for a competition and a third in Slovenia for a cultural festival. Photo courtesy of Edgar Müller.

"Waterfall" by Edgar Müller

Water feature, Digital compositing, Driveway,

According to Metanormph.com, this 885 square foot pavement artwork is Müller's first large sized project, which he created for the Prairie Arts Festival in West Point, Mississippi. Photo courtesy of Edgar Müller.

"Mana Nalu" by John Pugh

Wall, Marine mammal, Art, Mural, Blue whale, Cetacea, Fish, Urban design, Marine biology, Painting,

"Mana Nalu," translated as "Power of the Wave," was created by mural artist John Pugh with the help of 14 artists. It is located on the east side of the Lani Nalu Plaza building in Honolulu. Photo courtesy of John Pugh.

"Siete Punto Uno" by John Pugh

Human, Wall, Neighbourhood, Facade, Stairs, Street, Paint, House, Concrete, Graffiti,

According to Pugh's website, Illusion-Art.com, this commemorative mural is located on a Main Street building in Los Gatos, California—one of the communities that suffered damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Photo courtesy of John Pugh.

"Pinole Valley Road" by John Wehrle

Road, Infrastructure, Road surface, Wall, Asphalt, Line, Beam, Lane, Concrete, Composite material,

Completed in 2002, this 20,000-square-foot painting—located under Interstate 80 between residential neighborhoods in Pinole, California—required 20 days of lane closings and 1,300 gallons of paint to complete. It depicts scenes from the city's past and present, including historical figures and painted autos, according to Wehrle's website, TroutInHand.com. Photo courtesy of John Wehrle.

"The Meaningful Game" by Tracy Lee Stum

Human, Interaction, Hat, Sun hat, Paint, Fedora, Art paint, Visual arts, Painting, Artwork,

This 10' x 18' interactive mural—designed to allow observers to participate in the actual artwork by "playing chess" with the Dalai Lama—was created for the Emerald Coast Street Painting Festival in Panama City, Florida. "I had come up with the concept when discussing with a friend who I would most like to sit down with to discuss life issues," Stum says. Photo courtesy of Tracy Lee Stum.

"Big Bowl of Wontons" by Tracy Lee Stum

Human, Leaf, Dishware, Serveware, Porcelain, Painting, Plate, Fruit, Platter, Ceramic,

Also meant to be an interactive painting, this 7' x 16' mural was completed in 2006 at Langham Place Street Art Festival in Hong Kong, and required seven hours to complete. "Lots of viewers played with picking up the spoon, sitting in the soup and just trying to get a wonton out of the bowl with some chopsticks," Stum says. Photo courtesy of Tracy Lee Stum.

"Desert Baby" by Tracy Lee Stum

Hat, Sun hat, Art, Temple, Painting, Fedora, Visual arts, Illustration, Foot, Cowboy hat,

Inspired by traditional desert culture she encountered during her travels in the Middle East, Stum completed this 12' x 12' mural in two days for 2008's I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival in Santa Barbara, California. The carpet design mimics the traditional "kilim" style popular throughout the region, she says. Photo courtesy of Tracy Lee Stum.

"Ohio & Erie Canal" by Eric Grohe

Architecture, Arch, Landmark, Brick, Arcade, Triumphal arch, Brickwork, Monument, Historic site, Symmetry,

This 50' x 141' mural on prepared brick depicts the Ohio & Erie Canal in Massillon, Ohio. According to the artist's website, EricGroheMurals.com, "Rather than cover the entire wall with paint, the design of this mural utilizes the existing brick as part of the scene's architectural setting." Photo courtesy of Kathy Grohe.

"Italian Staircase" by Ron Francis

Stairs, Flowerpot, Wall, Handrail, Parallel, Paint, Houseplant, Baluster, Building material, Stock photography,

According to the artist's website, this 9' x 13' mural—created in Melbourne, Australia, in 1989—"was painted directly onto an external rendered brick wall, which is viewed through a large window from the living area." Both the window and the wall were specially built to accommodate the mural. Photo courtesy of Ron Francis.

"Cocito" by Kurt Wenner

People, Temple, Art, Mythology, Ancient history, History, Anthropology,

Artist Kurt Wenner says he created this painting for the Pasadena Chalk Festival during the 1980s. In the "Inferno" section of Dante's epic poem The Divine Comedy, Cocito is described as the ice lake at the bottom of the ninth circle of hell. "The stones in the photo—that the audience is standing on—are also painted," Wenner adds. Photo courtesy of Kurt Wenner.

"Milagro" by Kurt Wenner

This painting was created for the Cervantino International Festival in Guanajuato, Mexico. The name translates to "miracle," referring to the conceptual event that took place following the flooding of this painted silver mine: After 10 days, when the waters receded, the miners came out alive, according to Wenner. Photo courtesy of Kurt Wenner.

"Office Stress" by Kurt Wenner

Sculpture, Art, Carving, Mythology, Relief, Statue, Stone carving, Memorial,

Wenner says this work is shown in front of a particularly soulless office building in Mantua, Italy, for a reason: It was one in a series of images depicting contemporary "hells." Its companion pieces, Wenner explains, are titled "Gluttony" and "The Ghetto." Photo courtesy of Kurt Wenner.

"Costa" by Manfred Stader

Coffee cup, Cup, Serveware, Drinkware, Dishware, Teacup, Saucer, Tableware, Coffee, Drink,

This 9' x 13' painting was created in London's Covent Garden by Manfred Stader, who, according to his website, combines 16th-century Italian folk art with 21st-century illusion painting using pastel chalk. The frog design, according to Stader's website, was made using chaff (a dry grain). He documented the various stages of its creation on his website, 3d-Street-Art.com. Photo courtesy of Manfred Stader .

"HDI" by Manfred Stader

Motor vehicle, Mode of transport, Automotive design, Vehicle door, Automotive parking light, Auto part, Automotive side-view mirror, City car, Bumper, Hood,

Commissioned by the German insurance company HDI, this 9' x 16' artwork was created in Hamburg, Germany, in a parking garage. It took four days to complete, according to Stader. Photo courtesy of Manfred Stader.

Untitled by Marc Spijkerbosch

Road surface, Road, Infrastructure, Asphalt, Public space, Street, Cone, Line, Curb, Woody plant,

Marc Spijkerbosch has painted some 300 trompe l'oeil works for hotels and restaurants as well as residential, commercial and civic clients throughout the world. He painted this particular pavement artwork, a depiction of the underworld for the Southern Opera's production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute," in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo courtesy of Marc Spijkerbosch.

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