Cubism and the Trompe l’Oeil Tradition

Emily Braun and Elizabeth Cowling
with contributions by Claire Le Thomas and Rachel Mustalish

The age-old tradition of pictorial illusionism known as trompe l’oeil (“deceive the eye”) employs visual tricks that confound the viewer’sperception of reality and fiction, truth and falsehood. This radically new take on Cubism shows how Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Juan Grisboth parodied and paid homage to classic trompe l’oeil themes and motifs. The authors connect Cubist works to trompe l’oeil specialists ofearlier centuries by juxtaposing more than one hundred Cubist paintings,drawings, and collages with related compositions by old masters. Theinformed and engaging texts trace the changing status of trompe l’oeil over the centuries, reveal Braque’s training in artisanal…See More