http://www.artsmia.org/viewer/detail.php?v=12&id=1670
This painting by Rene Magritte, displays illusions of depth perception. When you first see it you probably think you are just looking out the window and see two pinnacles and some houses. Then you look closer and next either notice the strange wood object or the fact that one of the "pinnacles" is actually a road. The strange wood object turns out to be a frame for a canvas, and you are really seeing a picture in front of the window. The artist used depth perception cues to cause the illusion of it all being out the window. The relative size of the buildings and trees on the canvas and out the window make it look like they are at the same distance, but really the ones on the canvas are much closer. In the painting, the texture gradient changes as it meets the horizon causing fuzzy images in the distance. The vanishing point at the end of the road gives illusion of distance. The light seems to come from the same location in the painting and outside the window giving the shadows in the painting a more realistic look.
When I first looked at the painting, I noticed the painting in the painting right away. (Partially because it was given away in the title) However, I think its an extremely interesting visual representation of the city. The depth perceptions shown in the painting show that the artist had a strong understanding of the visual system. I'm sure if I saw the actual picture in person, it would be a lot more interesting. I would like to see a picture of the city compared to the painting to see just how well the artist represented the cityscape.