Trompe L'oeil Murals

Trompe l'oeil murals can be as large as a room or as small as a butterfly. Primarily used to deceive the viewer into perceiving an extra dimension, at their best they are a constant source of surprise and pleasure.

The term trompe l'oeil refers to any painting that has this characteristic, it's not descriptive of the subject matter but of the illusion.

What distinguishes a trompe l'oeil from a regular mural tends to be the level of detail and the depth of perspective. If you're not going to be able to see a trompe l'oeil from head on at a distance, the illusion can be reduced. Of course, if you paint a complete room, the impact of being surrounded tends to make up for the lack of distance and the multiple angles of view.

Window murals painted in the right place can open up a view in a way no wall hung painting can. Paint one in a niche and every time you pass by you can catch a glimpse of a different world.

If you don't have a niche, you can always paint one to hold a bottle of your personally labelled wine and a glass full waiting to be drunk. Or a door sized arch leading to a balcony overlooking a fantasy Arizona landscape.

Many decorative details can be turned into trompe l'oeil by creating the illusion of depth with the addition of shadows. How successful this might be will depend on how well drawn the original detail is, and at what distance it will be viewed. If you like to feel, no matter how briefly, that you're somewhere you're not, or own something you don't, a trompe l'oeil painting is an artful deception.

Select the images on the right to see larger pictures and read details about each project. Some of these are big files so they may take some time to show up.

More Mural Painting Examples
Animal and Childrens Murals
Still Life and Whimsical Murals
Landscape and People Murals

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