Nikolaj Arndt's Eye-Fooling Street Art Will Astound You

Updated



Want to make your living room a little more cozy? Here's an idea: Throw in a pit with hungry alligators snapping their jagged teeth at your feet.

Well, not real ones, of course. But Russian-born artist Nikolaj Arndt can paint you a picture of them that looks pretty darn real -- and that looks like those gators are leaping right out of your floor.

Arndt is a street artist who lives in Germany, and he paints trompe l'oeil -- French for "fools the eye" -- pictures on floors and sidewalks, giving the illusion that his art is popping up out of the surfaces he draws on. We first got a glimpse of his amazing skill on the blog Laughing Squid. The photo above is one of Arndt's artworks on a living room floor.

Arndt isn't the only artist to master these kinds of eye-popping images. Artist Julian Beever is also well known for creating 3-D artworks using chalk on sidewalks.

Arndt explained in an interview with pxleyes.com that he began drawing his eye-fooling images on sidewalks with chalk about three years ago. He would enter festivals in Germany where he would showcase his street art. He also uses paint to create works in homes.

"For me, the main thing in art is to give positive emotions to the audience," Arndt told pxleyes.com. "When people are smiling looking at my pictures, I'm happy."

We know you're dying to see more of Arndt's work, so click through the gallery below.

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Correction: An earlier version of this story included a photo gallery that featured artworks for which artist Nikolaj Arndt was not the creator.

See also:
Columbus Circle's Iconic Statue at Center of Art Exhibit and Controversy
Inside Look: Frank Sinatra's Rat-Pack-Era Penthouse

Off the Grid: New Mexico's Earthship Homes


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