I was a Spanish student, but I have never had French. This term, trompe l'oeil, Shu, CW and I saw at the Art Institute today. The sign said, trompe l'oeil, or realistic,.... Shu says that the phrase doesn't mean realistic. The online AHD says it means, " A style of painting that gives an illusion of photographic reality." To add a little confusion, it comes from a French word meaning to deceive! What does it mean? Is the phrase only used with art, or can it be used in other ways?

quote:

trompe l'oeil

1940s wallpaper?

Does the phrase really mean 'fool the eyes'?

It doesn't mean realistic, but it has to be realistic enough to fool the eye.

quote:

trompe l'oeil

In fact, the device is not necessarily at all realistic since its job is to create an illusion of realism. This means that there is often a distortion in the painting to give the impression of a three-dimensional object.

There are many examples of this device, including one I have seen (in Malta, I think) where the ceiling of a modest building was painted so as to look like a dome when viewed from the right angle.

The is a good explanation, and some examples, here - http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/t/trompeloeil.html

Or take a look at this!

Both of those are great links, guys! Thanks for sharing them.

I have looked at some of the links, but the lightbulb in my mind hasn't completely gone on yet.

However, there was a good example given in Richard's link where there was a contest to paint an illusion of the real world. One painter painted grapes that were so realisic that birds pecked them. The other painter won the contest by painting what appeared to be a cloth covering his painting that the rival painter reached over to pull off.

Is it only used to describe paintings?

Well my link is really more about anamorphic projections but the Coke Bottle is pretty damned good isn't it?