(Grünstadt 1927–2010 Buchholz in der Nordheide, Germany)
Original Stereoskopisches Bild PSR 8538-Stereoscopic picture,1982, on the reverse titled, dated, signed Ludwig Wilding 1982, screen prints in black and white, cardboard, plexiglass, 85.7 x 85.7 x 3.6 cm, artist’s frame

Provenance:
Private Collection, Germany

In the early 1960s, and after his training under Willi Baumeister, Ludwig Wilding made a start with the systematic organisation of black and white lines. Initially, he created illusionist images in a purely two-dimension space, but later on he made the illusion more powerful by sliding in an additional transparent level depicting narrow parallel lines arranged close together. The subtle shifting of the parallel lines creates the illusion of space and movement, and tricks the viewer’s eye: “The physiology of sight is a constant across all Ludwig Wilding’s work. He objectifies subjectivity using physiological laws – which nobody can avoid.”
(Spielmann, Heinz, Ludwig Wilding – Sehräume, in: ibid., p. 14)

The reality of sight allows the simplicity of the materials to be forgotten. Wildings’ simple illusionist methods solely target the viewer’s eye, enabling it to keep its primary function of pure sight, while making it believe in a huge deception.

Ludwig Wilding was able to use his works to articulate space, and make it even less determinable as a result of the irritation created in his pieces. His principle of avoiding superfluous decorative effects was thereby made a reality in an overly clear manner.
Stereoscopic line interference was discovered purely by chance, and is based on lines of various frequencies crossing over each other. The earlier pieces which appear to move show that the crossing of lines can create the illusion of space towards to the rear. The illusion of space towards the front, in the space within which we are located, is just as interesting – if not more so. The uniqueness of stereoscopic objects is based on the fact that the rear level is worked in slight relief, and the front level is composed of narrow black lines on Plexiglass. The smallest movement and change in the viewer’s position creates a new stereoscopic image in front of our eyes again and again, and the effect of the object renews itself in perpetuity. Walking past the object, the viewer feels that the lines are constantly vibrating in different ways.