Definition:
The fine art term trompe l'oeil is French and means to "trick the eye."
In visual art, the French term is used (as there is no English word) for the style of painting that fools the eye into thinking the painting is something real. It is often used in murals to give the appearance that a solid wall is a space opening up further into the distance.
Trompe l'oeil is also a decorative painting finish that transforms a plain plaster wall into one that looks like speckled marble.
Renaissance painters were fond of using trompe l'oeil painting techniques.
Pronunciation: trawmp loi
