Trompe l’oeil

"Everything we see hides another thing; we always want to see what is hidden by what we see." —René Magritte

Translating literally from French as to deceive or trick the eye, trompe l'oeil describes works whose subjects are presented so realistically that they make viewers wonder whether they are actually real. The concept dates back to the ancient Greeks who developed illusionistic wall painting (depicting marble columns or open windows) to make interiors appear larger.