Themes > Arts > Drawing > Drawing Materials and Drawing Techniques > Pencil Drawings > Trompe L'Oeil Illusions
Trompe L'Oeil Fine Art Pencil
Drawings:
Trompe l'oeil is a French term literally meaning "to deceives
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.
(Click on image to see a larger version of the artwork)
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.
by J. D. Hillberry
Information supplied by: http://www.jdhillberry.com