Deceptions and Illusions: Five Centuries of Trompe L'Oeil Painting

Trompe l'oeil, the art of depicting an object so exactly as to make it appear real, is deeply embedded in the history, practice and expertise of visual art. This fascinating genre is explored here in more than 100 European and American paintings ranging in date from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries and featuring work from practitioners such as Samuel Hoogstraten, William Harnett, John Haberle, Jasper Johns, and Roy Lichtenstein. Deceptions and Illusions examines all aspects of trompe l'oeil - optical, psychological, scientific, technical, theoretical, social, and even political: five enlightening essays by experts in European and American art and the science of seeing examine the phenomenon and persistence of trompe l'oeil over the centuries.