Trompe l’oeil
Trompe l’oeil is the term used for a technique that creates the illusion of reality. It is French for ‘fool the eye’ or ‘deceive the eye’. It has long been used by artists for paintings and murals, but can also be found in architecture where walls, ceilings, domes and other surfaces are painted with designs that ‘trick’ the observer into seeing other features such as windows, columns, stonework, ornaments and so on.
The first instance of trompe l’oeil perspective techniques being used in architecture can be found in the medieval period, but it became increasingly common during the Renaissance. Artists were often employed to paint the inside of churches, to give walls the appearance of decorative features, columns, windows, views and so on. Perhaps the most famous example of the technique is Michelangelo’s frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
The technique is also found in the design of stage sets where forced perspective can be used to give the impression that the stage is deeper than it is.
See also: Trompe l'oeil (part 2)
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Architectural styles.
- Architrave.
- Arts and craft movement.
- Bas-relief.
- Baroque architecture.
- Classical orders in architecture.
- Cornice.
- Elements of classical columns.
- English architectural stylistic periods.
- Entablature.
- Frieze.
- Finishes.
- Gargoyle.
- Grotesque.
- Large-scale murals.
- Nineteenth century architecture.
- Pilaster.
- Polite architecture.
- Skeuomorphism.
- Stained glass.
- Tessera.
- The architectural profession.
- Trompe l'oeil (part 2)
- Vernacular architecture.
IHBC NewsBlog
IHBC hosts stand at 50th Anniversary conservation area celebration in Cambridge
Free CPD and more on 27 February at Cambridge’s Guildhall: all welcome though with the evening event by prior booking only…
IHBC welcomes top lawyer double-up to the 2019 Annual School
Charles Mynors and Nigel Hewitson: ‘… on legal issues around conservation calamities’!
More speakers announced for IHBC 2019 Day School
‘Structures and structural failure’ at IHBC’s Nottingham School, with Ed Morton (ex Canterbury, York and Westminster to St Paul’s) and John Ruddy.
IHBC HESPR top pick from £10.2M+ costed work
RSPB Scotland, seeks developer of ‘micro-adventure with heritage interpretation’ (‘Wanderings and Windings’), closing 11/03, value £9000.
An ethnographic approach to conservation from Tom Yarrow in Context – with an ‘energy twist’, from the Trobriand Islands to Scotland.
Ageing gracefully - restorations which retain historical decay.
Survey on the importance of high quality design in building - Civic Voice
Following the government’s launch of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission in Dec 2018 Civic Voice has launched a survey to assist in its submission.
Funding deal agreed to build homes on London rooftops
Government backa a project to build rooftop properties in London on the top of existing buildings - part of a £500m project for 11K+ affordable properties across the country…
RIBA publishes latest future trends survey results
The latest RIBA survey of architects indicates a considerable fall in optimism about their future workload.
£38 million T Level Capital Fund launched for England
From 2020 young people taking T Levels – the technical equivalent of A levels - will benefit from a £38 million funding boost.
MHCLG on Construction Products Regulation in the event of no Brexit deal
MHCLG has provided guidance with practical information on the legal requirements that would be required in a no deal scenario in relation to construction products.
Centre for Cities think tank reveals that British cities bear the brunt of austerity
The Centre for Cities think tank has called for an end to local government austerity as it reveals that Whitehall cuts have hit cities twice as hard as the rest of Britain.