Taylor Hall Optical Illusion

The below optical illusion was created by John Pugh, he is an artist that does excellent trompe l'oeil (French for trick the eye) murals. The below is from "Chico Statements" a magazine published twice a year for alums, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of California State University, Chico.

John Pugh's trompe l'oeil murals are so lifelike they cause mishaps and confusion for the unsuspecting. In 1981, after the completion of his first major project, the mural on Taylor Hall on the CSU, Chico campus, several fender benders occurred because motorists were distracted by what looks like a gaping hole in the building.

Click image for larger view.

The following is from John Pugh's web site.

April 1981 Taylor Hall, CSUC

1. Soon after the mural was complete a woman employee that worked upstairs across the street from Taylor Hall called the administration and seriously complained and asked then they were going to fix the wall.

2. It was also reported by the C.S.U.C. public affairs officer Bob Pentzer that after the completion of the Taylor Hall project several rear-end accidents were reported occurring at the stop sign adjacent to the mural because motorists were distracted while viewing the broken wall illusion.