Image Essay #7

This image, attributed to R.C. James, is rather famous in Gestalt psychology. It illustrates the concept of emergence - the dog is perceived at once as a whole. Because there are no pure forms, spatial relationships give the illusion of legs and the form of the dog. I found this image very interesting - almost like an optical illusion. There is a definite concept of grouping evident in this image - the congregated group of lines form the dog and the tree beyond. Closure, however, seems to be the most prevalent in this image. The shapes, taken alone, are simply fragments. Together, however, they form a picture.

It is very interesting that the mind seems to place together lots of shapes to form one single entity. According to Wikipedia, "the Gestalt effect refers to the form-forming capability of our senses, particularly with respect to the visual recognition of figures and whole forms instead of just a collection of simple lines and curves." To me, this is quite interesting - the human mind naturally pieces together what is missing. I can see how some optical illusions are formed; the notion of Gestalt is very prevalent. This picture pieces together what is missing to form a very interesting composition.