As art continues to evolve in mediums and techniques, today we look at one of the most popular and favoured by all, Lenticular Art, where subjects are never static, and always changing as we move and shift perspectives. Its dynamic effect and high versatility continues to lead to its adoption by all types of artists.
Originating in the 1930s by Victor Anderson, the first images described as ‘lenticular’ were produced. By the late 1940s, Mr. Anderson’s company, ‘Vari-Vue’, was producing millions of simple lenticular images, everything from postcards, inserts and stationary to billboards and campaign buttons.
The technology trended exponentially and gained popularity in the 1960’s-70’s featuring notable works including Roy Lichtenstein’s ‘Fish and Sky’ and Chris Levine’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, 'Lightness of Being', the first ever 3D portrait of The Queen.
First, the original motif is cut into countless strips of separate thin, hemi-spherical lenses called lenticles, which is then laminated on to a lenticular film. lenticles refract the light passing through them so viewing from different angles, you only see half the printed strips. Then, thousands of minuscule optical lenses are placed over the original image in grid formation, creating a feel of depth. Further images are then printed directly onto the lenses, creating 3D motion effect.
Three lenticular effect formats include ‘flip lenticulars’, where the artwork's appearance alternates, or "flips" between multiple distinct images as the viewer's perspective shifts, ‘morph lenticulars’ that display a gradual change with no visible transitions, generating a sense of perpetual motion, and lastly ‘3D lenticulars’ that showcases individual elements of an image as layers giving more of an immersive depth effect.
