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Trompe l'Oeil is a French term literally meaning "to deceive the eye." It dates back as far as 400 B.C. and was part of the rich culture of the Greek and Roman Empires. It is artwork that attempts to be so realistic that the viewer is fooled into thinking that actual three-dimensional objects are being displayed rather than a two-dimensional representation of those objects. In the mid to late 1800s, An artist named William Harnett revived trompe l'oeil still life easel painting in the the United States. Traditionally, the preferred medium for this type of fine art has been oil painting, but using my techniques of blending charcoal and graphite pencils I have rendered some trompe l'oeil elements in these drawings.
As adults, we obtain a sense of security in our ability to distinguish between what is real and what is not. When confronted with something that – if only for an instant – makes us question our perception of reality, we are intrigued and experience a thrill like a child at a magic show.
I conduct realistic drawing workshop where you will learn
exactly how I create the illusions like the ones you see on this
page. If you are interested in learning how to draw images so
realistic they fool people into thinking real objects are
presented, check out my workshop schedule here:
Realistic Drawing Workshop
Schedule
Trompe L'Oeil Subject Matter:
Successful trompe l'oeil artwork must - at least temporarily -
fool the viewer. Subjects with limited depth are usually the most
convincing because the illusion can be maintained while viewed from
different angles. In fact, some trompe l'oeil murals are only
effective if the viewer is standing in exactly the right spot. It is
difficult to be fooled if you can't see the side of the
subject even when it is viewed from the side. Like many of the
trompe l'oeil still life easel painters of the 1800s, I have chosen
subjects with very limited depth to help achieve the most convincing
illusions. These include paper, envelopes, postage stamps, playing
cards, currency, tape, puzzle pieces, nails and pins. The popularity
of trompe l'oeil artwork with this same type of subject matter has
endured for centuries. The themes that feature luck and
gambling have been extremely popular for decorating game rooms and
who hasn't dreamed of having "Money to Burn"!
Trompe L'Oeil Folklore:
Art historians report of a contest that was held between two
renowned painters to see who was the finest. The first painter
produced a still life so convincing that birds flew down from the
sky to peck at the painted grapes. The master then turned to his
opponent in triumph and said, "Draw back the curtains and reveal
your painting." The other artist said, "Ha! You fooled the birds
with your painted grapes, but I fooled a great master artist! The
second painter knew then that he had won, because the "curtains"
weren't real. They were part of the painting..
It is also reported that Rembrandt's students painted coins on the floor of his studio for the pleasure of watching him bend down to pick them up.
Click the link below to see a step by step demonstration of my drawing "Inner Beauty"
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