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Ever seen Batman and Robin crawl out of the pavement?

If you have, then you’ll be aware of the amazing anamorphic street art by Leicestershire born artist Julian Beever. If you haven’t, then be prepared to see politicians going down the drain, swimming pools and gaping holes appearing on the pavement. Either way, you would certainly remember this unique form of pavement art, if you approached it from the right angle that is.

Julian’s anamorphic style means that by distorting the image in a certain way, he gives the illusion that it is a three dimensional image when viewed from a specific perspective. This is by no means a unique style, artists have been using it for centuries to disguise erotic artwork and political propaganda. One of the most famous anamorphic paintings was created in 1533, by an artist called Holbein. It is called The Ambassadors and can be found at the National Gallery in London.  Salvador Dalí, Hans Hamngren, Shigeo Fukuda and Kurt Wenner are just some of the artists over the years that have explored this art form.

Like the American artist Kurt Wenner, Julian works right in the middle of the continual slipstream of commuters, shoppers and tourists, creating his images straight onto the pavement. Not only this, but Julian’s only materials are chalk and masking tape, meaning that rain can quite easily erase a whole day’s work, not to mention people walking over it.

You really can’t get the full effect of what Julian does until you see him out on the street.
His pieces are so striking that quite often a crowd hangs about while he works, people unconsciously avoid the holes he creates in chalk, the mad rush by people to help him when it starts raining – all this brings a bit of life back to the street, which is one of the best things about his work. Away from the gallery, and the absolute novelty of what he does, means that everyone gets interested and involved.

You won’t find prints of Julian’s work, and you definitely can’t buy what he’s done, but as summer approaches, keep an eye out for him and one of his pieces. And should you happen to come across Batman and Robin rescuing a man from a burning building, then you know you have found the right man.

Julian Beever’s homepage