Death by Droste

Technically referred to by the horrific term mise en abyme (“placed in abyss”), the Droste effect (so nicknamed for its appearance in the imagery on a container of a Dutch cocoa brand by that name in 1904) has a mysterious quality about it that can hypnotize the viewer into madness after just a few seconds. Here’s an updated and animated version of the effect with an anime-style girl standing in (Click here to watch it in action–I chose this one because the speed on the original is near seizure inducing):

This “picture-in-a-picture” effect has origins tracing all the way back to medieval art, but at least one artist of the modern day has taken it to a new level with the genesis of the animated gif. Check out the link below for a great article on the works of artist Feliks Konczakowski and his Droste-dripping dreams:

https://beachpackagingdesign.com/boxvox/feliks-konczakowskis-animated-droste-effect-labels