Trompe l'Oeil in Fine Art

Trompe l'Oeil— pronounced: trump-loy, translated from French means "to deceive the eye". It is a technique used by still life artists to trick the viewer into believing that the objects that he is looking at are real. As trompe l'oeil artists it is our goal to give the impression of depth where there is none and to give the impression of volume where there is only area.

This illusionistic technique has it's roots in Antiquity. Pliny the Elder's "History of Nature" was often quoted, where the ancient painter Zeuxis is praised for painting such realistic grapes that they attracted hungry birds. So impressed was fellow artist and rival Parrhasius, that in a few weeks he asked Zeuxis to come to his studio to see his painting. Zeuxis went to Parrhasius' studio and there before him was the painting draped by a curtain. Zeuxis approached the painting and when he tried to pull back the curtain to reveal the painting, he found that the curtain had been painted. So enthralled by the anticipation of a painting "behind" the curtain, Zeuxis was fooled by his rival artist. Trompe l'oeil is the most imitative and naturalistic form of realism.

In America, trompe l'oeil had its beginnings in Philadelphia with the examples by Charles Willson Peale 1741-1827 and his eldest son Raphaelle Peale 1774-1825. Another great artist in trompe l'oeil still life was William Harnett 1848-1892. I saw his painting, "Old Models that hangs in the Boston Museum of Fine Art. I was no farther than two feet away and could not discern whether the violin was real or fake. It was the most fascinating experience and it was at that time that I decided to paint in the trompe l'oeil technique.

Rules of Trompe L'Oeil

The most inflexible rule for painters of trompe l'oeil is that the object represented must be depicted actual size or appear to be actual size. Trompe l'oeil painting traditionally demands the suppression of the brush stroke (the artists autograph) in favor of meticulous rendering of images. Trompe l'oeil techniques are only used to depict inanimate or stationary objects. If well executed, it will be difficult for the viewer to discern the real from the painted. Animate, plant life, animals, portraits, and landscapes are generally considered inappropriate for trompe l'oeil, simply because the viewer would expect the subject to move, thus sabotaging the painted deception. These types of compositions are considered murals.

Six Basic Categories of Trompe L'Oeil

Architectural:

Faux moldings: details such as moldings, columns, and niches.
Grisalle: French for "shades of gray", Ornamentation.
Polychrome ornaments: Same as grisalle but using colors.

Fine Art:

Murals: are large scale trompe l'oeil, combining three dimensional architectural elements with landscape/figures.
Trompe l'Oeil marquetry: both stone and wood are used instead of paint.
Trompe L'Oeil paintings: fine art still life incorporating trompe l'oeil techniques.

In my paintings where I use the trompe l'oeil technique, there is a need to be extremely accurate in the proportions. The angles and placement of the objects including their shadows must fit into the painting and appear balanced. There is a mathematical system of proportion referred to as the "Golden Mean". Some believe that the structure and balance of the Universe is explained by certain numerical relationships. Throughout history the "Golden Mean" has been used to improve the aesthetic balance of man made objects. The Greeks and Egyptians used it in the design and construction of their Temples, Pyramids and even the human form. The Golden Mean can be defined geometrically as a line that is divided such that the lesser portion is to the greater portion as the greater portion is to the whole. A more accurate calculation would be to take the first number and multiply it by 1.618 respectively.

The reason that the Golden Mean is important in relationship to my painting in trompe l'oeil is that the heightened degree of realism is devised to provoke a strong response from the viewer. It is my belief that for the viewer to be deceived, it is imperative that the aesthetic balance be one and the same with the objects being observed. Therefore, the more comfortable the viewer feels with the painting, the easier it is to visually deceive.