In order to understand the idea of the visual world and to become conscious of its surrounding it becomes necessary to overcome the tendency to think of the visual world simply at that frontal expanse that is present to the human.
Fernando R. Casas a great artist and a scientist postulates a theory of our visual system and how we see things. He puts forth the drawbacks of our limited visual system and provides perspectives on the concept of the ideal user who can see all contrary to the fact that the human vision limits itself to the expanse provided by the retina.
Casas studied Philosophy and Psychology and completed his MA and Phd from Rice University. Currently a Professor at Rice he is noted for his artistic and intellectual development of Flat-Sphere Perspective and Polar Perspective.
A look at his work explains that he liked to experiment with perspectives and visual complexities that normal artists don’t explore. He also created work that was cubist in nature. His early works showed a need to push the human vision and he represented that in his paintings. His various works depict new representational formats corresponding more closely to geometric and perceptual principles.
He explains that as human beings cannot see their own heads but an ideal observer with the ability to see all around at once would see himself as a localized and irremovable blind spot. Casas divides the vision into a dual system, one of visual appearances and second of spatial references. He says that our vision is limited to the frontal expanse but even if given the ability to see all around at the same time, one would still be incapable of seeing everything in the system of visual appearances where as it is possible to see everything in reference to one another.
You can see more of his artwork at http://www.fernandocasas.com/
