The Art and Illusions exhibition at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy, from 16 October 2009 to 24 January 2010, showcased 140 masterpieces of trompe-l’œil from antiquity to modern, most of which are paintings.
Curator Annamaria Giusti says: "Even though the term trompe-l’œil is of relatively recent coinage, fascination with optical illusion goes back to ancient times and is a recurrent theme in the history of Western art. Its roots lie in the art of classical Greece and Rome. The ancients’ attitude to painting and sculpture was based on the belief that art should be imitative, or mimetic, and that is the criterion that paved the way for the conceptual and technical challenge of making what is in fact an illusion appear to be true."
Here is a handful of the paintings from the exhibition to give you a taste.
Curator Annamaria Giusti says: "Even though the term trompe-l’œil is of relatively recent coinage, fascination with optical illusion goes back to ancient times and is a recurrent theme in the history of Western art. Its roots lie in the art of classical Greece and Rome. The ancients’ attitude to painting and sculpture was based on the belief that art should be imitative, or mimetic, and that is the criterion that paved the way for the conceptual and technical challenge of making what is in fact an illusion appear to be true."
Here is a handful of the paintings from the exhibition to give you a taste.
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