colour on board. 50 × 40 cm (20”
×
16”)
THE ART OF TROMPE
L’OEIL PAINTING
The French term ‘Trompe L’Oeil’ (deceive
the eye) has been found in literature from
around 1800 onwards. The success of a
trompe l’oeil painting is measured above
all in whether or not the artist succeeds in
deceiving the observer. In my painting of
this open book, I have attempted to
indicate that the book is, in fact, real, and
open.
A trompe l’oeil’s success always depends
on naturalistic painting and a command of
perspective. This type of painting requires
meticulous attention to detail on the part of
the artist. Proper sizing and every detail,
nuance of light and graduation of colour
must be skilfully incorporated in order to
make the two-dimensional work appear to
be three-dimensional.
In the 21st century, the term ‘Photo-
Realism’ would be equally applicable to
this style of painting. The essential
difference between a trompe l’oeil and a
still-life painting is that both may be
painted with an equal degree of realism,
but in a still-life a group of objects exist in
their own surroundings and form a
composition which happens to be bounded
by a frame. Nothing should be left to
chance in a trompe l’oeil unless it be by
deliberate artifice.
