Kurt Wenner

On long, hot summer days in my childhood, sidewalk chalk art has always been a favorite pastime of mine. As a 5-year-old, though I myself never had the patience and skill to sit down in front of my house with a box of chalk and finish a picture worth looking at. But sidewalk art is definitely not only a kid’s activity.
Take a look at these:

These are all by professional street artist Kurt Wenner, the guy who is often heralded as the pioneer of 3d street art. Modern 3d pavement artists such as Julian Beever, Edgar Mueller, among others drew inspiration from him and his original artwork in the 1980’s.

That’s right. 1980’s. 3-d paintings on sidewalks is a fairly new form of art. Since then, Wenner’s artwork has been featured by National Geographic, commissioned by Pope John Paul II, and displayed in the National Museum of Singapore. The pictures above display some of his recent works.

Wenner is not only an artist, but also a skilled architect in the pioneering field of 3d art and architecture. All of the paintings above are on completely flat sidewalk, yet the geometric construction makes it look unnervingly three-dimensional.
I have never actually seen this in person, but I can imagine walking along the sidewalk and seeing something like this. You know it's completely safe. There is nothing more than a mere illusion to trick your mind and eyes, yet if you were given the chance, instinct tells you it would not be safe to dive into the busy street below or the yellow abyss of the monsters.
It is utterly amazing the art some people can create with some simple chalk, pavement, and a skillful hand.