Tricks of Perfection Trompe L’Oeil in your community Lessons by Mary Erickson, Ph.D. with art teacher Hillary Andrelchik Masters of Illusion: Unveiling the Mystery of Trompe L’Oeil Tempe Center for the Arts

How do you say that? “Trompe L’Oeil” is pronounced: tromp-loi or tromp-low-ee

What is it? Trompe l’oeil is a French term literally meaning “to fool the eye.” In trompe l’oeil an artist tricks viewers into thinking that the artwork they see is actually real. In reality, what the viewers are seeing is just an ultra-realistic drawing or sculpture of an object, not the real object itself.

When did it start? Trompe l’oeil has been used in European and North American art since the time of the Greeks and Romans. Trompe l’oeil has been used in a variety of ways, from inside buildings to paintings by famous artists to art on street corners of big cities.

Where can I see it? Have you seen any ultra-realistic art that fooled you? Here are a few amazing examples…

Ever seen a car like this?

The bullet holes look pretty realistic until you get a little closer…

Even closer you can see that the bullet holes are actually magnets stuck to the car door.

Ever seen a truck like this while driving down the road?

Do you really think the back is open and the things inside will fall out?

Maybe you have a floor like this in your house.

But is it really made of tile? No, it’s actually linoleum flooring.

Here is a photo of a fire department building in Phoenix.

It looks pretty detailed from a distance. But look closer.

Still fooled?

Can you tell which part of this close up is real and which is fake?

What about the fire truck? Real or not real?

Look again.

This photo taken from an angle shows the fire truck is actually a painting.

This building seems to be under construction. Notice the man still painting on the far right end of the building.

The artist, Richard Haas, has painted himself and his signature into the building.

All of the examples we just saw are flat or two-dimensional. Artists can also fool the eye in three dimensions. Here are some everyday examples.

Can you find the fake rock in this photo?

Look more closely and you will see that one of these rocks is really a key holder.

Maybe you have seen trees like this in your community. Can you tell which one is fake?

When you look closer you can see that the center photo is not a tree at all, but a cell phone tower cleverly disguised.

Tom Eckert makes wooden sculptures and then paints them to fool the viewer. Tom Eckert Legerdemain, 22”X13”X9”H wood and polychrome

In reality, this sculpture is made entirely of wood and then painted to look like cloth and playing cards.

To Review: Trompe l’oeil means “to fool the eye” in French. When an artist “fools” you by making you think the image you are looking at is actually something else, that artist is using trompe l’oeil. Trompe l’oeil can be found in the work of artists and also in everyday objects in the world around you.