Gianni A. Sarcone (born March 20, 1962) is a visual artist and author who collaborates with educational publications, writing articles and columns on topics related to art, science, and mathematics education. He has contributed to several science magazines, including '' Focus Junior''''Il Club della Magia''
Sarcone’s column in Focus Junior magazine (June 2014). (Italy), ''Query''-

CICAP The Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims on Pseudosciences (; CICAP) is an Italian non-profit skeptical educational organization, founded in 1989. CICAP's main goal is to promote a scientific and critical investigation of pseudoscien ...

(Italy), ''Rivista Magia'' (Italy), ''Alice & Bob'' /

Bocconi University Bocconi University or Università Bocconi (formally known in Italian language, Italian as ''Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi'' – Luigi Bocconi Commercial University) is a private university in Milan, Italy. The university is consistently ...

(Italy), ''Brain Games'' (USA), and '' Tangente''''Illusions et trucages''
Sarcone’s column in Tangente magazine (June 2013). (France). Sarcone has over 30 years of experience as a designer and researcher in the areas of visual creativity,

recreational mathematics Recreational mathematics is mathematics carried out for recreation (entertainment) rather than as a strictly research-and-application-based professional activity or as a part of a student's formal education. Although it is not necessarily limited ...

and

educational games Educational games are games explicitly designed with educational purposes, or which have incidental or secondary educational value. All types of games may be used in an educational environment, however educational games are games that are design ...

Visual research

Considered a leading authority on

visual perception Visual perception is the ability to detect light and use it to form an image of the surrounding Biophysical environment, environment. Photodetection without image formation is classified as ''light sensing''. In most vertebrates, visual percept ...

by academic institutions, Sarcone was invited to serve as a jurorPrevious Judges
of ''Best Visual Illusion of the Year Contest''. at the Third Annual " Best Illusion of the Year Contest" held in

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Ba ...

, Florida (USA). His optical illusion projects 'Mask of Love'''Mask of Love''
nominated top 10 Best Illusions of the Year 2011. and 'Autokinetic Illusion'''Autokinetic Illusion''
nominated top 10 Best Illusions of the Year 2014. were named among the top 10 best optical illusions in the 2011 and 2014 "Best Illusion of the Year Contests", respectively. In 2017, he placed third in the contest for his ‘Dynamic Müller-Lyer Illusion’. Müller-Lyer Illusion''
won the third place in the Best Illusions of the Year Contest 2017. Amongst other notable projects, he created and designed an “hypnoptical”"Hypnoptical" is a

portmanteau word In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.) Israeli שלט ''shalát'' 'remote control', an ellipsis ...

invented in 1999 by G. Sarcone that blends the words ‘hypnotical’ and ‘optical’ together. visual illusion that was used in the logo and institutional signage of the 2014 Grec Festival of Barcelona,Grec Festival 2014
presentation of the logo with the optical effect created by G. Sarcone. a significant cultural event featuring avant-garde musical, dance, and theater performances. His joint work, “Moona Lisa”, a mosaic of lunar images that, when viewed from a distance, forms the iconic portrait of Leonardo da Vinci's

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, ...

, was featured as

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

’s

Astronomy Picture of the Day Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...

(APOD) twice: on October 16, 2021,APOD: 2021 October 16
- The Moona Lisa. and again on September 14, 2024,
- The Moona Lisa selected again. in celebration of

International Observe the Moon Night International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. Since May 16, 2022, in honor of the

International Day of Light The International Day of Light is celebrated each year on May 16. Its purpose, per UNESCO, is to strengthen cooperation and leverage its potential to foster peace and development. Light-based technologies play an important role in education, scien ...

established by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, the

University of Florence The University of Florence ( Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Firenze'') (in acronym UNIFI) is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled. History The f ...

(UniFi) has permanently hosted Sarcone's optical art works in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in Sesto Fiorentino. This exhibition, titled “Enlightening Mind”,''Enlightening Mind''
- An exhibition at the University of Florence dedicated to optical illusions. is freely accessible and organized by the Degree Course in

Optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of optical instruments, instruments that use or Photodetector, detect it. Optics usually describes t ...

and

Optometry Optometry is the healthcare practice concerned with examining the eyes for visual defects, prescribing corrective lenses, and detecting eye abnormalities. In the United States and Canada, optometrists are those that hold a post-baccalaureate f ...

Honors and awards

Educational project

G. Sarcone has authored and published numerous educational textbooks and illustrated booksSarcone’s partial bibliography
in

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

catalog. in English, French and Italian on brain training and the mechanism of vision. He is the founder of Archimedes-lab.org''Archimedes’ Laboratory''
is part ''Open Education Consortium''. a consulting network of experts specializing in improving and enhancing creativity - for which he has been commended with a long list of accolades and awards, including the 2003 Scientific American ''Sci/Tech Web Award''2003 ''Sci/Tech Award''
for the communication of mathematics to the general public. in Mathematics and received recognition
that Archimedes Laboratory has received. in the US from: CNN Headline News, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and NewScientist.com.
Best illusions: Masked face conceals a kiss (May 2011).

Notable inventions

Sarcone has developed a number of visual puzzles, games, and conceptual objects that combine elements of geometry, color, perception, and philosophical reflection, often grounded in mathematical principles. * Quirinus – The Amazing Paradoxical Puzzle (1992) – A 16-piece geometric puzzle from the *Quadrix* series that presents a vanishing-area paradox: an additional square appears to fit within a completed shape without altering its perceived dimensions.''Quirinus''
the paradoxical square puzzle. * TangraMagic Puzzle – A reimagined ten-piece tangram that introduces L-shaped elements and a small square to produce an optical illusion of area disappearance. The puzzle includes a 20-page illustrated booklet designed for educational and recreational use.''TangraMagic''
a tangram with a magic touch. * Trama – A two-player abstract strategy game designed in the early 1990s. Played on a triangular board with black, white, and neutral gray pieces, the game introduces a shared neutral component that adds a layer of tactical depth.''Trama''
when neutrality is a strategy. * Architempo – The Hological Watch – A conceptual watch using a two-color pattern to visually represent the passage of time in an hourglass-like display. Conceived in the late 1980s, the design explores alternative ways of perceiving time through graphical interaction.''Architempo''
the hological watch.''Architempo''
European patent.

Media and broadcasting

Some of Sarcone's artworks such as ''The Other Face of Paris''Viral Sarcone’s ''Other Face of Paris''
or ''Flashing Star''Viral Sarcone’s ''Flashing Star''
have gone viral on the Internet. His works were also presented in several national and international television programs, including 'Rai 3' Italy, 'RTL 9 Channel' France, 'TSR 1 Channel' Switzerland, and in the following TV series: * ‘Nippon Television Network’ / NTV (Japan): "Fukashigi"; Japanese: 不可思議探偵団 (2012). * ‘National Geographic Television’Sarcone’s illusion ''Hypnotic Vibes''
shown as interactive exhibit at ‘Las Vegas Adventure Dome’(USA, National Geographic TV, June 2014). (US): "Brain Games Science" (2014). * ‘Beyond Production’ PTY LTD (Australia): "Wild But True" – Season 1 (2014). * "Masahiro Nakai’s Useful Library"Sarcone’s ''Mask of Love''
presented in ‘Masahiro Nakai’s Useful Library’ TV show (Japan, June 2015). show, a widely followed Japanese TV program (June, 2015).

Selected works

File:Gianni Sarcone, 1998, The Other Face of Paris, photograph, 66 x 91 cm, Private collection, Paris.jpg, Gianni Sarcone, 1998, ''The Other Face of Paris'' (aka ''The Eiffel Girl''), photograph, 66 x 91 cm, Private collection, Paris (France). File:Gianni Sarcone, 2001, Master of Number, mixed media - collage, 76 x 76 cm, Museum of Illusions, Kuala Lumpur.jpg, Gianni Sarcone, 2001, ''Master of Numbers'', mixed media / collage, 76 x 76 cm, Museum of Illusions, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). File:Gianni Sarcone, 2003, Hold on Tight, mixed media, 76 x 76 cm, Museum of Illusions, Kuala Lumpur.jpg, Gianni Sarcone, 2003, ''Hold on Tight'', mixed media, 76 x 76 cm, Museum of Illusions, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). File:Gianni Sarcone, 1997, Hypnotic Vibes, mixed media, 70 x 70 cm, Museum of Illusions, Ljubljana.jpg, Gianni Sarcone, 1997, ''Hypnotic Vibes'', mixed media, 70 x 70 cm, Museum of Illusions, Ljubljana (Slovenia). File:Gianni Sarcone, 2011, Apparition, mixed media, 122 x 122 cm, Museum of Illusions, Ljubljana.jpg, Gianni Sarcone, 2011, ''Apparition'', mixed media, 122 x 122 cm, Museum of Illusions, Ljubljana (Slovenia). File:Gianni Sarcone, 2013, Mystic Bat, mixed media, 122 x 122 cm, Private collection, Florence.jpg, Gianni Sarcone, 2013, ''Mystic Bat'' (aka ''Mystic Flying Bat''), mixed media, 122 x 122 cm, Private collection, Florence (Italy). File:Moona lisa opart.jpg, Gianni Sarcone, 1997-2021, ''Moona Lisa''. A mosaic of lunar images that forms the iconic portrait of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa when viewed from a distance.

Bibliography

Recent published works (2014-20)

G. Sarcone is the author (and co-author) of the following books: *''Fantastic Optical Illusions: More Than 150 Deceptive Images and Visual Tricks'', Carlton, UK, 2020, . *''Ultimate Eye Twisters'', Carlton, UK, 2019, . *''Amazing Optical Illusions'', Carlton, UK, 2018, . *''Optical Illusions'', QED Publishing, UK, 2017, . *''You Can't Possibly Color This!'', Moondance Press, US, 2017, . *''How to draw incredible optical illusions'', Imagine Publishing, US, 2015, . *''Xtreme Illusions 2'', National Geographic Kids, US, 2015, *''Super Optical Illusions'', Carlton Kids, UK, 2014, *''Hidden Picture Puzzles'', Imagine Publishing, US, 2014, *''Optical Illusions: An Eye-Popping Extravaganza of Visual Tricks'', Dover Publications, US, 2014, *''Impossible Colouring Book: Can You Colour These Amazing Visual Illusions?'', Arcturus Publishing, UK, 2014, *''Make Your Own 3D Illusions'' - 3D illusions pack: All You Need to Build 50 Great Illusions, Carlton Books, UK, 2014, *''Impossible Folding Puzzles and Other Mathematical Paradoxes'', Dover Publications, US, 2014,

Non-fiction books in other languages

*''Les millors il·lusions òptiques'', Editorial Brúixola, Spain, 2020, *''Las mejores ilusiones ópticas'', Editorial Bruño, Spain, 2020, *''Optične iluzije'', Tehniška Založba Slovenije D.d., Slovenia, 2019, *''Ilusões Óticas'', Booksmile, Portugal, 2019, *''Varázslatos optikai csalódások'', Ventus Libro Kiadó, Hungary, 2019, *''Optische illusies'', Lantaarn Publishers, Netherlands, 2019, *''Ilusões de ótica'', Quarto (Nobel), Brazil, 2018, *''Optische Illusionen'', Ars Edition, Germany, 2018, *''Illusions d’optique'', Fleurus, France, 2018, *''錯視の魔術'', Kyouikugageki, Japan, 2018, *''Optiska illusioner '', Ordalaget, Sweden, 2018, *''Illusioni ottiche'', Armenia, Italy, 2018, *''Vertigo: 50 Schwindelerregende Optische Illusionen'', Moses Verlag, Germany, 2016, *''Optische Täuschungen XXL'', Ars Edition, Germany, 2016, *''謎解き錯視傑作135選'' (135 Mysterious Optic Artworks to Solve), Sogen-Sha, Japan, 2015, *''Libro para colorear figuras imposibles'', Editorial HISPANO EUROPEA, Spain, 2014, *''3D Optiset Harhat'', Readme.fi, Finland, 2014, *''Incroyables Illusions d’Optique'', Ça m’intéresse, France, 2014, *''50 Illusions d’Optique 3D'', Editions Ça m’intéresse, France, 2014, *''Illusions - Coloriage Créatif'', Editions Bravo, Canada, 2014, *''图中奥秘 : 挑战脑力的错视图'' (Amazing Visual Illusions), Qingdao Shi, China, 2013, *''图有玄机 : 挑战眼力的错视图'' (The World of Visual Illusions), Qingdao Shi, China, 2013, *''Le Cabinet des Illusions d’Optique : 100 Illusions Stupéfiantes'', Editions Fleurus, France, 2013, *''Удивительные оптические иллюзии'' (Amazing Visual Illusions), Art-Rodnik, Russian Federation, 2013, *''Рисуем оптические иллюзии'' (Drawing Optical Illusions), Art-Rodnik, Russian Federation, 2013, *''Kiehtovat Optiset Harhat'', Kustannusosakeyhtiö Nemo, Finland, 2013, *''Optische Illusionen'', Ars Edition, Germany, 2013, *''Pliages, découpages et magie'', Editions Pole, France, 2012, *''De wonderlijke wereld van de optische illusies'', Deltas Centrale uitgeverij, The Netherlands, 2012, *''Unglaubliche Optische Illusionen'', Verlag an der Este, Germany, 2012, Artikel-Nr.: 019435 *''Spectaculaire Optische Illusies'', Uitgeverij Atrium, The Netherlands, 2011, *''L’étrange univers des illusions d’optique'', Editions Fleurus, France, 2011, *''Ilusiones Opticas'', Circulo de Lectores Barcelona, Spain, 2010, *''Fantasticas ilusiones opticas'', Editorial Libsa Sa, Spain, 2010, *''Optische Täuschungen'', Bassermann F., Germany, 2009, *''Fantastische Optische Illusionen'', Tosa Verlagsgesellschaft, Germany, 2008, *''FantaLogica'', Edizioni La Meridiana, Italy, 2009, *''Neue Optische Illusionen'', Weltbild, Germany, 2008, *''阿基米德视幻觉游戏'' (Archimedes' Visual Illusion Games), China Friendship Publishing Company, China, 2007, *''视幻觉'' (Optical illusions), China Friendship Publishing Company, China, 2007, *''Optische Illusionen'', Weltbild, Germany, 2006, *''Niewe Optische Illusies'', BZZTOH, The Netherlands, 2006, *''Nouvelles Illusions d’Optique'', France Loisirs, France, 2006, *''MateMagica'', Edizioni La Meridiana, Italy, 2005, *''L’Almanach du Mathématicien en herbe'', Editions Archimède, France, 2002, *''La Couleur dans tous ses états'', Editions Yva Peyret, France, 1995,

Personal life

Sarcone has practiced and continues to practice various

Martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

and

Combat sports A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent (''knocko ...

, including

Yoseikan budō was the name given to Minoru Mochizuki's dojo built in November 1931 in Shizuoka, Japan. The Dojo The brother and friends of Master Minoru Mochizuki built this dojo for him while he was recovering from pleurisy and pulmonary tuberculosis. When t ...

Kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

Jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

), and holds a black belt in

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

.Sarcone’s black belt session
June 2015.

References

External links

*
''These Patterns Move But It’s All An Illusion'' by G. Sarcone

''The Optical Illusion That Makes Static Lines Look Like They're Pulsing''

G. Sarcone's autokinetic illusions on ''Scene 360''

Archimedes-lab.org

Rivista Magia

2011 Best Visual Illusions of the Year

2014 Best Visual Illusions of the Year

'Mask of Love' illusion by G. Sarcone

G. Sarcone’s biography and bibliography on Amazon

Sarcone’s works on Artstack gallery

Sarcone’s autokinetic pictures on Saatchi online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarcone, Gianni English science writers Italian science writers Living people Italian artists 1962 births