the venus effect


Venus at the Mirror, Peter Paul Ruben (c.1614–15)

The Venus effect is a phenomenon in the psychology of perception, named after various paintings of Venus gazing into a mirror. Viewers of such paintings assume that Venus is admiring her own reflection in the mirror; however, since the viewer sees her eyes in the mirror, Venus is actually looking at the reflection of the painter/image maker. 



The Lady and the Unicorn: Sight (c.late 15th Century)



Picture for Women, Jeff Wall (1979)


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