deceive my eyes, please - jenn's little art blog

trompe-l'œil, french for "deceive the eye," is a very old - i'm talking ancient greek old, not hit clips old - artistic technique where 2d surfaces (like paper, canvas, walls) are turned into 3d works of optical illusion. i've written about op art on here before, as well as one of the great modern artists in the space, rené magritte, so we all as a society know and can agree that this is totally my shit.

magritte painting that is made to look 3d by having a painting on an easel in front of a window it's supposedly a painted scene of

The Human Condition, 1933 by Rene Magritte

optical illusions often require a hyper-realistic display, but there's something to be said and loved about the more caricature and abstract works of trompe l'œil. for example, this "6 Pack Women's Funny Bikini Shirt Short Sleeve Cover up Baggy T Shirt Dress Cute Bikini Print Baggy Swimwear".

amazon listing image for 6 bikini-style t-shirts copied and pasted onto the same blonde model 6 times

whether a hyper-realistic 3d scene on a flat ceiling or a cartoonish string bikini on a shirt worn while doing house chores, i see all of these works as a satire on the low expectations of surfaces that don't meet a beauty standard and how superficial those standards are. humans didn't need social media platforms to display a veneer of beauty, or to make fun of that veneer.

i was thinking about trompe l'œil this week after watching some old schiaparelli show videos. another thing we all as a society know and can agree on is that i do not have a fashion (or art) background, but i will always stop and watch a schiaparelli show because of - that's right - the house's pioneering and longtime use of trompe l'œil in fashion. and also, because of the nature of knitting stitches, elsa schiaparelli was a pioneer of analog pixel art.

a knit sweater made to look like there's a white bow on black

Bow Sweater by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1927

this bow sweater was elsa schiaparelli's debut design and it was a huge hit. i mean, could you imagine how unique this must have looked in the 1920s! that same year, they successfully displayed an image on television over a long distance and my neighbor, the holland tunnel, opened. i think the ancient and modern greats of trompe l'œil would appreciate the whimsy and controversy of its past holiday decor.

the holland tunnel entrance with wreaths on the O, U, and a tree on the N so it kinda looks like it says HOLLAID TONNEL

old photo of the Holland Tunnel during the holidays, NY Times