Thursday 19 May 2011

Trompe l’oeil paintings in Neuilly-sur-Seine

I am in Paris (France) at the moment and while walking in the nearby Neuilly-sur Seine, I stumbled across several trompe l’oeil paintings on the side of  buildings.



The whole side of one building located in the Boulevard du Général Leclerc has been painted with fake bicks and windows.



The painted door opens onto an imaginary park, as if a hidden world was inside the building.

I found another trompe l’oeil located rue Bailly. The side of the building has been populated with windows and inhabitants talking on their balconies.




At street level, there is a florist’s shop window. To enhance the illusion, the artist painted the reflection of a parked car in the window.

The nearby door on the left has a real handle affixed to it, blurring the border between reality and fantasy.





On the right side of the florist's shop, a double door opening on the countryside gives away the fact that it is a trompe l'oeil and invites viewers to escape from the city.

I carried on walking and found yet another trompe l’oeil Rue du chateau.This one is simple but works really well.




On the ground floor, the real plants growing along the wall help to blend the painted door and window into the real world.









Trompe l’œil paintings are an effective way to smuggle art into cities. They are entertaining and also have the power to make us question reality. After you spot one, you become more aware of your surrounding, wondering what is real and what is just an illusion…



Related article
 
Looking outside - mural



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