Window Paradox Illusion

Peter Bukowinski thought I might like his submission, and he was right. The motive in this picture has already been seen, but it is never boring to see new versions of classic illusion. If you look closely, you’ll notice something paradoxic in the window below. Not only does it give you something to think, but also shows an awesome fictional passage to another world. This is illusion isn’t the most complex around, but I really like the image as a whole. Enjoy and please share your thoughts…

102 Replies to “Window Paradox Illusion”

  1. I love the way that if you look at it one way it looks like the window is opened inwards but if you look at it another way it looks like it’s open outwards. I truthfully like this one a lot.

  2. you know.. i was just reading about black holes on wikipedia!! yea.. and it does actually sorta looks like a black hole =P haha

  3. hmm.. try to cover the bottom half of the image with your hand and see only the top half of the image…

    And vice versa…

    You’ll notice the paradox… :)

  4. It seems to open to the right (our right) and the balls are coming out, but on the other hand it´s closing and the balls are going in.

  5. i love that! the top part of the window makes it look like we’re below it, and the bottom part makes it look like we’re above it!

  6. if you focus on the top part of the window it appears as its opening towards you. however if you focus on the bottom ledge, it appears its opening away from you and the the spheres move away from you through the window. very good illusion!

  7. That reminds me of the brilliant works of the famous Dutch mathematican Escher who actually deserves more recognition than he has and anyone who sees (or has seen) his fictious drawings would definitely agree with me! I cannot get enough of this all….

  8. The window seems to open inward or outward depending on how you look at it, and can be facing either the left border or right, which I suppose means those bubbles might be going in or out.

  9. wow, this is great. windows opened out or in? planets getting sucked in or spilling out? simple yet beautifully classic.

  10. If you look towards the bottom of the picture the window opens to the blackness. If you look towards the top of the window the shutters look as though they open out to you. Neat.

  11. Am I inside a room or outside?! Scary! Am I looking up or down? Cool illusion. It took me about 20 seconds to notice, I wasn’t sure/

  12. lol, its funny looking, i didn’t see it at first, because i was looking at only the top, then i looked down and noticed it.

  13. Considering all the lame ones we’ve had lately, this one is pretty darned good.

    At first I couldn’t tell if I was on the inside looking out or the outside looking in. Then I saw that the hinged side of the window was different on the top and bottom.

    An impossible object and a perspective illusion all in one. Great job!

  14. In this illusion when you look at the top of the window, it faces one way. If you look at the bottom of the window it faces the other way.

  15. If it does suck these planets/dots, then what is the inside and what is the outside? Wich way are these planets going? I think the blue is the inside and the black is the outside, though I’m not quite sure wich way they are moving..

  16. that is cool look at only th bottom of the pictue it looks like its facing one way look at the top it looks like its facing the other way

  17. “If you’re new here, you may want to download Optical Illusion of The Day desktop widget”

    I hope you folks are making money off the adds tied to this widget. I love the website, and encourage you to do what you can to keep it running.

    But Man! Am I tired of hearing about the silly widgets or what!

  18. its really cool! from one point of view it looks like its a window facing to the right and from another point of view it looks like its facing the left…very well done!

  19. it’s one of those illusions that are two-sided: you look at it one way and see something, and then you look at it a different way and see something else

    1. Yeah, the top is facing as if the window shudders or whatever were outside. The bottom is the other way around.

  20. Kind of like Escher–perspective makes it appear to open out one way when you focus on the top of the window and the other when you focus on the bottom. Very cool.

  21. I love the fact that you’re looking up at the window, at the same time that you’re looking down at it. Very cool!! =)

  22. i like the way that if you look up at the top right, the windows open out, and lokking down at the bottom left they open inwards.

  23. actually, in this image, it’s all about perspective. the top half of the window is on a different angle than the bottom half of the window. easy! :)

  24. This really looks interesting, the upper part of the window seem to be ‘normal’, the bottom part is turned 90 degrees. Nice effect!

  25. Yep! Cool illusion–it reminds me of a couple things:
    1) the different galaxies and our desire to learn more about the solar system
    2) the sun and the planets revolving around them — some that we know of and others in other galaxies that we don’t
    I’m not sure if either of these are “right,” but it really does make you think!

  26. That’s sweet how, when looking at the top of the window, the shutters seem to be opening towards me; while, when focusing on the bottom, they open out into the blackness.
    The widow seems to switch orientation as well.

  27. why does my computer not seem to show the comments as they are added? I’m sure someone has commented, yet I see none after a significant amount of time. Is it me or is this part of the illusion?

  28. If you cover up the top half of the window, then cover the bottom half, you will see the illusion.

    Just want to say thanks for these illusions, I can’t wait for the next one.

  29. thats weird…
    if u look at the top of the window it looks like the window is facing one way but if u look at the bottem its facing a different way…
    confusing

  30. if u look at the bottom half of the window it seems like ur lookin out the window…but if u concentrate on the top half it seems like ur lookin in2 the window from the outside…cool :)

  31. when you look at the upper part of the window, it seems like it opens out, but once your gaze goes towards the bottom, it seems like the windo opens in.

  32. I really like this it is so cool the way the orbs are going in at the bottom of the window and it looks like they are going out at the top. i also like the styling of the window frame to make it look like the window opens out, at the top and pushes in at the bottom. Verry Cool

  33. i think that it looks very kool be-cuz if u look at it one way then there is another way to look at it and i judt think that it looks cool.

  34. I already see the illusion, but i dont wanna say so others can get it, but its much like several other window illusions ive seen

  35. Since the top and bottom are facing different directions it makes it seem like their are two diffferent windows.

  36. Will you people get a grip?,I mean sure it is a great optical illusion, but I’ve seen better ones,and I hope that I’m not ofending anyone,because this illusion made me think for about 30 seconds untill I got it.But for real,don’t get excited about the balls.And I hope to add this site to my myspace page.

  37. that is so cool and it is obvious from the second u look at it. It’s not one of those illusions where u have to really look at it and in the end u don’t get it!

  38. this impossible figure is made by istvan orosz,
    great hungarian painter.
    it is part of the exhibition at EXPLORA Science Center in Frankfurt Germany

  39. In actuality, you are seeing it from underneath it, because if you were above it, in order for it to be conceivably realistic the doors would have to be opening outward, and since you can see them over the frame they are opening inward, therefore you must be below it. Not trying to troll, still a marvelous painting by a very talented artist.

  40. It’s a much better version of something I tried as a student. And I appreciate that it’s in a size sufficient to exhibit the rich detail.

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