Trompe L’Oeil Today

Ursula E. and Martin Benad

Praise for Trompe L'Oeil Today:

“An inspirational resource for any readers wanting to learn more about this art form. The book in part celebrates trompe l'oeil's colourful past, but adapts the traditional style, with inspiration for the future. Learn how decorating walls can be more interesting than watching paint dry.”
—Everything France

Overview - Table of Contents

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.

About the Authors

Ursula Benad and her husband, Martin Benad, run the Color Concept studio for creative use of color and wall decoration in Munich. They offer regular seminars on color planning, wall decoration, and trompe l’oeil technique. Martin Benad also works as a journalist. They are the authors of two other books: Farbgestaltung: Das Handbuch für Maler, Raumgestalter und Innenarchitekten (Color Studies: A Handbook for Painters, Room Designers, and Interior Architects) and Das 1x1 der Wandlasuren: Die besten Techniken, aktuelle Trends (The ABC of Wall Varnishes: The Best Techniques and Contemporary Trends).

ISBN: 0-393-73130-8
Winter 2004
128 pages, cloth, 180 color illus.