John Pugh is a remarkably talented “Trompe L’oeil” (French for “deceive the eye”) artist. Trompe L’oeil is an art technique that involves extremely realistic images in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in 3D.
[quote]I have found that the “language” of life-size illusions allow me to communicate with a very large audience. It seems almost universal that people take delight in being visually tricked. Once captivated by the illusion, the viewers are lured to cross an artistic threshold and thus seduced into exploring the concept of the piece.[/quote]
Pugh often paints people into his murals to heighten the 3D effect.
He inserts an onlooker into this mural, entitled Bay in a Bottle.
This looks like a nice place to take a seat, until you realize it’s an optical illusion.
The children are an optical illusion in this mural in Honolulu.
A mural entitled Art Imitating Life Imitating Art Imitating Life, at the Cafe Trompe L’oeil, in San Jose, California
