Leon, as one of the world’s best artists in anamorphic street art, has amazed people around the globe. His murals and floor illusions can be found in Europe, the United States, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Russia, New Zealand, Australia, and numerous Asian countries.
We asked Leon to tell us more about himself and his creative background.
“I have been working in the arts for more than 25 years now. I was born and raised in Utrecht, Netherlands. In addition to art, I have always had the ambition to exhibit my work for the viewer in an interactive way and to get the most out of it for myself as well as to find a combination with the arts to master all kinds of perspective techniques as best as possible,” wrote Leon.
As mentioned before, Leon’s art also sheds light on various important topics. We were wondering how, from Leon’s perspective, anamorphic 3D street art contributes to raising awareness or sparking conversations about these issues.
“My art often contains a message. Although this is often hidden. Out of respect for everyone's opinion, I do not impose my own opinion in my work too much, but I try to convey a message that will spark a possible discussion. To make my work accessible, I rely on recognition. This can express itself in certain objects that evoke memories from the past or expressions that subtly highlight contemporary problems in the world or locally. The oppression of certain groups is very close to my heart.”
Leon’s artwork frequently draws inspiration from everyday objects like teacups, vases, and toys. The artist shared what draws him to these mundane items, and how he transforms them into thought-provoking pieces of art.
“The objects I use in my work have played an important role in my past.
I often miss the open-mindedness you had as a child. Waking up at dawn and starting the day in a playful way. As an adult, life for me now, I experience as vulnerable. And in my art a search for a combination of the open-mindedness you had as a child and the vulnerability you experience now. I still see the vases, that I often paint, at my parents' house. I replace the often richly decorated motifs on the ceramics with drawings that highlight the problems of contemporary society. As fragile as these vases are, so is life on this planet,” explained Leon.
Creating anamorphic 3D street art requires a unique understanding of perspective and space. We asked Leon to walk us through his creative process.
“I use different perspective techniques for the murals than for the floor paintings. This could be only a 1-point perspective, but in more complex works where 3 walls, floor, and ceiling have to be painted, there are as many as 9 different vanishing points. When I see the location in front of me, I initially try to find an interesting and logical place from where you could best experience the artwork. I take into account objects in the environment that I may be able to use to strengthen the painting and where the sun is located so as to avoid excessive glare and shadows. Everything to give the final work of art an optimal 3D effect. A sketch on paper follows for that specific viewing point. Then follows a distorted version of the sketch as you would see if you were standing on top of the floor or directly in front of the wall. This distorted sketch is my basis to bring it to a larger version. During the execution of geometric shapes, I work with vanishing points in the horizon and rope. For the other shapes, I work from a grid that is drawn over the distorted sketch and then enlarged on the wall or floor.”
“Finally, by taking into account the correct use of light and shadow, you bring the painting to life,” added Leon.
