Flat & Deep – Mixing Two and Three Dimensions

When a flatly-depicted two-dimensional object is collaged on a pictorial space that clearly represents depth-of-field, or when a three-dimensional object is collaged on a flat space, the differences become emphatic. The flat object seems super-flat in a realistic setting, hovering in the scene without support; the three-dimensional object seems out of place (and mysteriously flattened) in surroundings that display no depth. In either case, the combination can hold the viewer’s interest, which is something the Surrealists knew.