French impressionist Claude Monet's paintings are world renowned for their dreamy depictions of nature.
As a new study has discovered, the transfixing qualities in Monet's art may have something to do with science and the ways in which our brain interprets color.
The University of Rochester's Center for Visual Science studied a number of paintings from Monet's Waterloo Bridge series to create an exhibit at the Rochester, NY-based Memorial Art Gallery, titled 'Monet's Waterloo Bridge: Vision and Process.'
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As a new study has discovered, the transfixing qualities in impressionist Claude Monet's art may have something to do with science and the ways in which our brain interprets color
In his Waterloo Bridge series, Claude Monet depicted the bridge amid the landscape and atmosphere of its surroundings, including the swirling fog, soft light and mist.
The researchers noted that each painting uses a very limited color palette, yet, somehow it appears unique every time.
They discovered that he manipulated the ways in which our eyes and our brain interpret light and shapes.
Monet 'tricks' a viewer's brain by depicting elements of light, shadow, and contrast to paint the 'illusion' of a 3D bridge, the university said.
What's more, he uses contrasting brush strokes to confuse how our brains interpret each color.
'With each of the paintings in the series, Monet manipulates viewer perception in a way that scientists at the time did not completely understand,' the university explained.
The study 'provides insight into the complexity of the visual system, illuminating Monet's processes and the intricacies of his work,' they added.
Monet's series shows the Waterloo Bridge amid the landscape and atmosphere of its surroundings, including the swirling fog, soft light and mist.
The researchers noted that each painting uses a very limited color palette, yet, somehow it appears unique every time.
The answer to why each work of art appears different may lie in how our eyes take in wavelengths of light.
The retinas in our eyes are made up of three different types of cones, including blue, which picks up on short wavelengths of light, green, which is sensitive to medium-wavelength light and red, which is sensitive to long wavelengths of light, according to the University of Rochester.
Altogether, these signals help explain why we see so many different shades of color.
Once our retinas process this information, it then travels to the visual cortex in the back of the brain, which then transmits it to 'higher-level parts of the brain,' such
