At first glance, this mural doesn’t seem to make any sense. But when the images are reflected on the water, everything about it makes sense. The amazing mural was the work of New York-based artist Ray Bartkus. The Floating World can be found along Šešup? River in Marijampol?, Lithuania and is one of Bartkus’ most notable street artworks. Onlookers may think that the confusing upside down mural on the house along the river doesn’t mean much. Little did they know that the real canvas is not the house, but the river itself. The real meaning of the mural is revealed through its reflection on the water.
If you look at the reflection, you can see swimmers, rowers, boats, and swans that appear to interact with the water. Even the intriguing pair of legs on top of the mural turned out to be a diver’s legs with diving headfirst into the river. Bartkus intentionally painted the upside down mural in order to achieve this effect. Of course, it entailed a lot of planning and skillful execution to pull this off. The result is a mind-boggling artwork that made use of an extraordinary canvas.
The Floating World, an upside down mural, reveals its true form through its reflection on the river
Source: Ray Bartkus