Anamorphose

Anamorphose, or anamorphosis, is a term used in art and biology to describe different phenomena related to distortion or transformation. In art, anamorphosis denotes a distorted image that only appears correct from a particular viewpoint or when reflected in a curved surface or device. The technique relies on mathematical projection and perspective to encode a recognizable scene in an apparently scrambled form. A classic example is the perspective anamorphosis depicted in Hans Holbein the Younger’s The Ambassadors (1533), which can be read correctly from the left side or via a cylindrical mirror that reveals a skull. Contemporary artists sometimes use digital methods to produce anamorphic works on urban spaces.

In biology, especially mycology, anamorphose refers to the development or appearance of an anamorph—the asexual, non-zygotic reproductive form of a fungus. Many fungi have been described first in their anamorph state (asexual conidia-producing structures) before the sexual teleomorph form was known. The terms anamorph and teleomorph have been used to classify life stages; in modern taxonomy, the holomorph concept covers the whole fungus, with anamorphs recognized as separate developmental forms within that organism. Anamorphic fungi are important in plant pathology and industry because their asexual spores allow rapid dissemination.

Etymology: from Greek ana, meaning up or again, and morph, meaning form.