What is Trompe L'oeil

And how do you say it? 'tromp loy' will do. Following is a good passage from a site called Art Effects, with links to it at the bottom.

A Little History on Trompe L'Oeil


History shows that the Art of Trompe l'oeil Painting has been used for over two thousand years and as a painting style dates back to 400 B. C. Although ancient trompe l'oeil works are lost, descriptions of these paintings have been passed down through history. Today the earliest murals of trompe l'oeil art that exist can be found in the ruins of Pompeii and Eurculaneum and have been dated back to the first century A.D. After becoming part of the rich culture of the Greek and Roman Empires, trompe l'oeil art all but disappeared during the Dark Ages, not to resurface until the Renaissance and Baroque eras. After the discovery of perspective in the fifteenth-century, the trompe l'oeil style in mural painting flourished. Trompe l'oeil artists used these techniques in perspective to create false openings like doors and windows. In Europe this form of three dimensional art on a two-dimensional surface was used extensively by the wealthy and clergy. Churches and grand cathedrals became a common place for trompe l'oeil paintings to be used, giving these houses of worship the appropriate splendor they deserved. The walls and ceilings of palaces, villas and homes of the rich were decorated by artists and muralist with trompe l'oeil paintings, opening the rooms to a grander scale. Trompe l'oeil architectural elements, like columns, pillars and arches were painted adding to the richness and sophistication of their interiors. http://www.trompe-l-oeil-art.com/
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