Paint Effects - Trompe L'oeil
The panels of this door as well as the niche and the antiques above it are not real, they have been painted using trompe l'oeil techniques
Close up of the niche above. |
Trompe L'oeil is a French expression and literally means 'trick of the eye'. The idea behind creating a trompe l’oeil image is to depict an object so exactly that it deceives the observer. They will think they are looking at a real object but in reality it is a two dimensional image painted on a wall. The techniques themselves were actually pioneered by the Greeks and Romans as a result of their intense desire to paint reality.
The beauty of using trompe l’oeil as a technique is that virtually anything is possible and an enormous amount and of fun can be had by manipulating the normal constraints of a room. One could for example create the illusion of a door opening onto a garden, a bookcase that holds rows of priceless books or even a mouse eating some cheese by its hole in the skirting.
The playful and intellectual nature of trompe l'oeil makes it a fascinating and intruiging effect to have in your home. To have something that deceives the senses whilst at the same time being a piece of art unto itself is what makes this type of finish so compelling for all concerned.
Trompe l'oeil gives the artist the ability to overcome the flat surface of a wall by either increasing the depth behind it or extending out from it.
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This child's learning board has been painted to look three dimensional and really appears to have been pinned to the faux stone wall. |
