Catalogue of an exhibition held at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Oct. 13, 2002-Mar. 2, 2003.

Step-by-step projects for every area of the home.

The age-old tradition of pictorial illusionism known as trompe l’oeil (“deceive the eye”) employs visual tricks that confound the viewer’s perception of reality and fiction, truth and falsehood. This radically new take on Cubism shows how Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Juan Gris both parodied and paid homage to classic trompe l’oeil themes and motifs. The authors connect Cubist works to trompe l’oeil specialists of earlier centuries by juxtaposing more than one hundred Cubist paintings, drawings, and collages with related compositions by old masters. The informed and engaging texts trace the changing status of trompe l’oeil over the centuries, reveal Braque’s training in artisanal trompe l’oeil techniques as an integral part of his Cubist practice, examine the material used in Gris’s collages, and discuss the previously unstudied trompe l’oeil iconography within Cubist still lifes.

Italy possesses a mythical aura: in no other country do antiquity and modernity, history, art, landscape, and the graceful art of living coexist with such elegance, providing a rich cornucopia of images for creating striking interiors. In this third volume in the trompe l'oeil series, Ursula and Martin Benad offer Pompeian motifs for stylish entrance halls. Venetian vistas for luxurious bathrooms, and Tuscan landscapes for kitchen and dining areas, as well as tips on painting technique. They show how to design and build up a landscape step-by-step ; create authentic-looking antique frescoes ; paint a ceiling in the style of Tiepolo, ande ; re-create the popular "Mediterranean" atmosphere by using trompe l'oeil painting in a way that is practical and at the cutting edge of modern-day design.

Offers step-by-step instructions for creating trompe l'oeil murals using stencils and includes advice on tools, paints, and stenciling techniques.

Our political age is characterized by forms of description as ‘big’ as the world itself: talk of ‘public knowledge’ and ‘public goods,’ ‘the commons’ or ‘global justice’ create an exigency for modes of governance that leave little room for smallness itself. Rather than question the politics of adjudication between the big and the small, this book inquires instead into the cultural epistemology fueling the aggrandizement and miniaturization of description itself. Incorporating analytical frameworks from science studies, ethnography, and political and economic theory, this book charts an itinerary for an internal anthropology of theorizing. It suggests that many of the effects that social theory uses today to produce insights are the legacy of baroque epistemological tricks. In particular, the book undertakes its own trompe l’oeil as it places description at perpendicular angles to emerging forms of global public knowledge. The aesthetic ‘trap’ of the trompe l’oeil aims to capture knowledge, for only when knowledge is captured can it be properly released.

From a countryside panorama in a windowless room to a faux mosaic wall, an intricately painted Oriental carpet to a soaring cathedral dome in a single-story room, Trompe l’oeil painting offers an art form ideal for contemporary interiors, adding color and aesthetic atmosphere and responding to specific architectural needs and situations. Trompe L’Oeil Today offers a fascinating overview of the range of styles and techniques of illusionistic painting for private residences and public spaces, restaurants and other commercial interiors, and even indoor swimming pools. It covers unusual techniques, such as anamorphism, and bold geometric patterns, as well as more traditional Trompe L’oeil subjects, including Pompeian-style wall paintings, classical arches and colonnades, landscapes, statues and reliefs, and elaborate ceiling treatments. The book defines the categories of illusionistic painting: material imitation, or faux finishes, ranging from marble and wood finishes to snake and crocodile skin; grisaille, including imaginary moldings, reliefs, and statuary; small-format trompe l’oeils, such as those painted in niches and on doors; and large panoramic murals. Experienced professionals, the authors address practical questions and offer helpful tips and tricks for choosing the right materials, technique, and style. They examine the use of perspective and the psychology of visual perception, presenting a visually beguiling array of painting possibilities. Trompe L’Oeil Today is an essential reference for artists and designers working in trompe l’oeil and in search of suggestions or inspiration, interior architects and decorators looking for an outline of what can be done to create new and different ambiances, and clients who plan to commission a work. Over 150 four-color photographs illustrate the architectural and aesthetic impact of professional illusionistic work. Trompe L’Oeil Today is an invaluable survey of an impressive, popular art form.

Sky and sea are the trompe l'oeil painter's favorite motifs for contemporary interiors. In this idea-filled, colorful guide, Ursula E. and Martin Benad provide a hands-on and easy-to-follow introduction to the art of painting clouds, waves, and seascapes. With a profusion of examples, patterns, suggestions, and professional tips, they address the essentials of working in large or small formats, on walls and ceilings, including advice on:. Sky and ocean in perspective. Special light situations, including evening and night skies. Cloud formations. Step-by-step surf. Transparency and reflection of water. Underwater worlds. Still lifes, including trees, flowers, birds, and shells. Key subjects covered include how to paint on walls and ceilings; motifs from different regions of the world (e.g. dream beaches in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Thailand, Brittany, etc.); different weather and atmosphere conditions; times of day (morning, noon, dusk, evening); and accessories for the foreground (e.g. birds). An ideal reference for architects, interior designers, trompe l'oeil painters and their clients alike. Ursula E. Benad and her husband, Martin Benad, run the Color Concept studio for creative use of color and wall decoration in Munich. They are the authors, most recently, of Trompe L'Oeil Today.

From the coauthor of the best-selling Handbook of Painted Decoration comes this advanced exploration of trompe l'oeil art and technique.