Cannaregio by Patrick Hughes

Patrick Hughes
b. 1939 | British

Cannaregio

Oil on panel
Signed, titled and dated “Cannaregio / Patrick Hughes / 2024” (en verso)

This intricately detailed, three-dimensional illusion transports the viewer into Cannaregio, the northernmost of Venice’s six historic sestieri. Part painting, part sculpture and part optical illusion, this work by London-based artist Patrick Hughes invites the viewer on a dynamic visual journey. The construction projects outward from the wall and appears to shift as the viewer moves, creating a sense of motion that challenges traditional perspective. Hughes’s playful experimentation with perception engages the viewer in a uniquely tactile experience rarely encountered in fine art. Known for his originality, wit and immersive approach, Hughes stands among the leading figures in contemporary British art.

In Cannaregio, the semi-submerged Venetian landscape takes on a dreamlike quality. Hughes heightens this surrealism through his illusionistic perspective, with the waters of Venice encroaching upon the sidewalks. Inspired by the natural phenomenon of acqua alta, the exceptionally high tides that flood the city in winter, this work captures both the physical and poetic character of Venice. In the distance, the familiar skyline rises above the shimmering water, anchoring the viewer in a place where reality and illusion seamlessly converge.

Hughes coined the term reverspective for these types of constructions, which he describes as “perspective in reverse.” He utilizes the traditional idea of one-point perspective in which an artist can create the illusion of receding space and dimensionality with converging lines upon a single vanishing point on the horizon line. However, he reverses this concept by bringing these lines forward into space using 3-dimensional planes, but still abides by a strict vanishing point. Hughes says, “When the principles of perspective are reversed, the mind is deceived into believing that a static painting can move of its own accord.” Perfection of line, light and shadow is essential to the final outcome, and, all told, a reverspective painting can take up to three months from start to finish.

Hughes created his first reverse perspective work in 1964 with a life-sized room for the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London entitled Sticking-Out Room, thus beginning his long fascination with perspective illusions. He has since then authored several books on themes related to his art, including visual paradoxes and oxymorons, and he holds a doctorate in science from King’s College in London for his work in the psychology of perception. Today, his work resides in the permanent collection of the British Library and the British Academy in London.

Dated 2024

Board: 12” high x 19 1/2” wide x 4 1/2” deep (30.48 x 49.53 x 11.43 cm)
Frame: 18 1/2” high x 25” wide x 4 1/2” deep (46.99 x 63.50 x 11.43 cm)