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[[Image:TintagelCastle.jpg|thumb|Overlooking the ruins of Tintagel Castle. Part of the village can be seen in the distance.]]
:''This article is about the art technique. For the 2006 album by Canadian indie rock band Malajube, see [[Trompe-l'oeil (album)]].''
[[Image:View_from_Tintagel_castle.jpg|thumb|Another view from the top of Tintagel castle.]]
'''Tintagel Castle''' ({{gbmapping|SX051889}}) is a [[castle]] found on [[Tintagel Head]], located near [[Tintagel]] in [[Cornwall]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom|UK]]. The site was originally a [[Roman]] settlement, though the remains of the castle that stand today date from the 13th century. The castle is traditionally linked to the legend of [[King Arthur]] and as such it is currently a popular tourist site run by [[English Heritage]].
==History==
[[Image:Trompe l'oeil Narbonne.jpg|thumb|280px|right|Trompe-l'œil mural on building in [[Narbonne]], [[France]].]]
'''Trompe-l'œil''' is an [[art]] technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the [[optical illusion]] that the depicted objects really exist, instead of being just two-dimensional paintings. The name is derived from ([[French language|French]] for "trick the eye", from ''tromper'' - to deceive and ''l'œil'' - the eye; [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] pronunciation [{{IPA|tʁɔ̃plœj}}]).
==Sotto=Roman in susettlement===
Cornwall was relatively untouched during the [[Roman occupation of Britain]], however coins and pottery fragments found at the site indicate that the site was oppucpied in the third or fourth century. Two Roman milestones nearby indicate that a road lead to the settlement.
'''[[Sotto in su]]''', meaning ''Seen from below'' in Italian, (also called ''di sotto in su'') is an alternative term for a type of trompe l'œil illusionistic painting technique used for ceilings to provide perspective. The elements above the viewer are rendered as if viewed in true vanishing point perspective. This is used commonly in Italian [[Baroque]] fresco cycles in a style called [[Quadratura]]. Probably its first use was by [[Andrea Mantegna]] in the Camera degli Sposi in [[Mantua]]. Other notable uses are by [[Antonio da Correggio]] in the Duomo of [[Parma]], [[Pietro da Cortona]]'s [[Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power (Cortona)| Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power]] in the [[Palazzo Barberini]], and [[Andrea Pozzo]]'s ''Apotheosis of St Ignatius'' [4] at the Roman church of [http://www.wga.hu/html/p/pozzo/apotheos.html Sant'Ignazio].
===Dark Age settlement===
The interior of [[Jesuit]] churches in the [[mannerism|mannerist]] style often show trompe-l'œil paintings on the ceiling, optically opening by [[anamorphosis]] the church to heaven with a depiction of [[Jesus]]' or [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]]'s ascension.
After the Romans left Britain, [[Celtic]] people's did build a fortress on the site. It is often speculated that it was a summer residence for the rulers of [[Dumnonia]]. The [[Ravenna Cosmography]], of around [[700]], makes reference to Purocoronavis, (almost certainly a corruption of Durocornovium), 'a fort or walled settlement of the [[Cornovii|Cornovii]], (unidentified, but possibly referring to Tintagel Castle or [[Carn Brea]] castle). Later legends claimed that this was the site where the Cornish kings held court at this time.
===Medieval period===
==History in painting==
A castle was built on the site by [[Reginald, Earl of Cornwall]] in [[1233]], to build on the Arthurian legends that were associated with the area and because it was seen as the traditional place for Cornish kings. The castle was build in a more old fashioned style for the time to make it appear more ancient. Reginald hoped that in this way he could help to gain the Cornish people's trust, who were suspicious of outsiders. The castle itself held no real strategic value.
Although the phrase has its origin in the [[Baroque]] period, use of trompe-l'œil dates back much further. It was (and is) often employed in [[mural]]s, and instances from Greek and Roman times are known, for instance from [[Pompeii]]. A typical trompe-l'œil mural might depict a window, door or hallway to optically enlarge a room.
===Victorian era===
A version of an often-told [[ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] story tells of a contest between two renowned painters. [[Zeuxis]] produced a still life painting so convincing that birds flew down from the sky to peck at the painted grapes. He then asked his opponent, [[Parrhasius]], to pull back the curtains to reveal his painting. Parrhasius won the contest, as his painting was the curtains themselves.
During the Victorian era, there was a fascination with the Arthurian legends, and the ruins of the castle became a tourist destination. The modern day village of Tintagel was known as Trevena until the [[1850s]], when it was renamed to promote tourism on the back of the King Arthur and Camelot legends. Strictly speaking, Tintagel is only the name of the headland.
==Arthurian legend==
With the superior understanding of [[perspective (graphical)|perspective drawing]] achieved in the [[Renaissance]], painters, beginning with [[Jacopo de' Barbari]], often added trompe-l'œil features to their paintings, playfully exploring the boundary between image and reality. For example, a [[fly]] might appear to be sitting on the painting's frame, a curtain might appear to partly conceal the painting, a piece of paper might appear to be attached to a board, or a person might appear to be climbing out of the painting altogether.
It was claimed by [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] in the [[12th century]] that the castle at Tintagel Head was where King [[Uther Pendragon]] seduced Queen [[Igraine]] of Cornwall, while her husband, [[Gorlois]], was under siege elsewhere. [[King Arthur]] was thus conceived and later writers made the castle his birthplace.
==Archaelogical Discoveries==
[[Image:HaberleABachelorsDrawer.jpg|thumb|250px|left|''A Bachelor's Drawer'' by [[John Haberle]] (1890–94)]]
A [[Dark Ages]] [[Celt|Celtic]] fortress did exist there. The first excavations, which were undertaken by [[Ralegh Radford]] in the [[1930s]], have come under modern criticism, partly because the site documentation was slight, by modern standards Radford led a considerable interpretative shift when he suggested that Tintagel was in fact a Celtic monastery and not an "Arthurian" site. In the mid-[[1980s]] a fire on Tintagel headland led to considerable erosion of the topsoil, and many more building foundations than were recorded by Radford could be seen.<ref>[http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/1/hati.htm "Early Medieval Tintagel: An Interview with Archaeologists Rachel Harry and Kevin Brady"]</ref> In [[1998]] the mis-called "[[Arthur stone]]" was discovered there that raised hopes for some basis for the legend.<ref>But see [http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/1/hati.htm "Early Medieval Tintagel: An Interview with Archaeologists Rachel Harry and Kevin Brady"].</ref> The present-day ruins of the castle are situated on a rocky headland that overlooks the Cornish coast. Tintagel Castle is one of the landholdings of the [[Duchy of Cornwall]]/[[Prince Charles]] who refuse to reveal the date or circumstances under which the castle was transferred to the care of English Heritage. It has proved not possible to obtain this information. as there is a Parliamentary injunction <ref>[http://cornishstannaryparliament.co.uk/resources/article.php?story=20061026005146214 Letter from the House of Commons Library to Andrew George MP, dated 16th July 1997]</ref> preventing MP’s from raising questions about, or even attempting to discuss, Duchy related matters. On 16th July 1997 the Liberal Democrat [[Andrew George]] MP attempted to raise a Duchy-related question but he was prevented by an injunction that disallows MPs raising any questions in Parliament that are in any way related to the Duchy.
==Recent Controversy==
Trompe-l'œil can also be found painted on tables and other items of furniture, where for example a deck of playing cards might appear to be sitting on the table. A particularly impressive example can be seen at [[Chatsworth House]] in [[Derbyshire]], where one of the internal doors appears to have a violin and bow suspended from it, in a trompe l'œil painted around 1723 by [[Jan van der Vaart]] [http://www.chatsworth.org/learning/photolibrary_images.htm].
In 1999 there was some controversy regarding this site and others under the care of the [[English Heritage]] organisation. Members of a pressure group, the [[Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament#Operation_Chough|Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament]], removed several signs bearing the English Heritage name.<ref>[http://www.cornishstannaryparliament.co.uk/heritage-signs.html Cornish Stannary Parliament tackles English cultural aggression in Cornwall.]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1768853.stm BBC News: Historic signs case trio bound over]</ref>
==Modern revivalNotes==
<references/>
The art form was revived by the American 19th century still-life painter [[William Harnett]]. In the 20th century, [[Richard Haas]] painted large trompe-l'œil murals in American cities.
==External links==
==In other artforms==
Trompe-l'œil is employed in [[Donald O'Connor]]'s famous "Running up the wall" scene in the film ''[[Singin' in the Rain (film)|Singin' in the Rain]]''. During the finale of his "Make 'em Laugh" number he first runs up a real wall. Then he runs towards what appears to be a hallway, but when he runs up this as well we realize that it is a large trompe-l'œil mural.
{{commonscat}}
Another variant of trompe-l'œil is [[matte painting]], a technique used in filmmaking where parts of a complicated scenery are painted on glass panels which are mounted in front of the camera during shooting of the scene. This was for instance used in early [[Star Wars]] movies.
*[http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConProperty.316 Tintagel Castle information at English Heritage]
*[http://www.cornwalltour.co.uk/tintagel.html Illustrated Guide to Tintagel castle]
*[http://www.thisisnorthcornwall.com/tintagel.html About Tintagel]
*[http://www.medieval-castle.com/haunted_castles_england/tintagel_castle.htm Tintagel Castle and haunted castles]
{{Cornwall-struct-stub}}
Fictional trompe-l'œil is featured in many [[Looney Tunes]], such as the [[Road Runner cartoon]]s, where Wile E. Coyote (for example) paints a tunnel on a rock wall, and the road runner then races through the fake tunnel. This is usually followed by the coyote's foolishly trying to run through the tunnel after the road runner, only to smash into the hard rock-face.
{{Cornwall-stub}}
{{coor title d|50.66706|N|4.75936|W|region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SX051889)}}<!-- Note: WGS84 lat/long, converted from OSGB36 grid ref -->
==Trivia==
[[George Washington]] was once fooled by a trompe-l'œil painting when he visited someone else's home. Upon entering a room containing on its far wall such a painting of someone descending a stair (apparently into the room), he is said to have bowed to the figure before he realized it was a painting.
__NOTOC__
== Examples of trompe-l'œil paintings ==
<gallery>
Image:Petrus_Christus_007.jpg|''Portrait of a Carthusian'' by [[Petrus Christus]] (1446). Note the fly near the bottom.
Image:Jacopo de' Barbari 001.jpg|[[Jacopo de' Barbari]], 1504. The first [[still-life]] trompe l'oeil since antiquity
Image:Painter_with_a_pipe_and_book_by_Gerard_Dou.jpg|''Painter with a Pipe and Book'' by [[Gerard Dou]] (c.1654)
Image:Johann Heinrich Füssli 066.jpg|''Trompe l'œil '' by [[Henry Fuseli]] (1750)
Image:Escaping_criticism_by_Caso.jpg|''Escaping Criticism'' by [[Pere Borrell del Caso]] (1874)
Image:Char side vieuw.jpg
</gallery>
== Examples of trompe-l'œil murals ==
<gallery>
Image:Mantegna.jpg|Oculus on the ceiling of the Spouses Chamber, castle of San Giorgio in [[Mantua]], [[Italy]], by [[Andrea Mantegna]]
Image:Sant'Ignazio - affresco soffitto -antmoose.jpg|Ceiling of Church of St Ignatius, Rome
Image:Théâtre_St_georges_avant.jpg|The original façade of the Saint-Georges Theatre, [[Paris]], [[France]], before mural painting
Image:Théâtre_Saint-Georges.jpg|Complete anamorphosis of the frontage of the Saint-Georges Theatre
image:Le_pigeon.jpg|A trompe-l'œil of a pigeon on a window sill, façade mural, rue Emile Lepeu in Paris, France
Image:SchwetzingenSchlossgarten.jpg|Mural in [[Schwetzingen]], [[Germany]] (the view "through" the wall at the end)
Image:Spada.jpg|Architectural trompe-l'œil in the [[Palazzo Spada]], [[Rome]], by [[Francesco Borromini]]
Image:Lyon Trompe l'oeil velo'v.jpg|A trompe-l'œil in [[Lyon]], [[France]]
Image:Tunnelvision.jpg|Trompe-l'œil mural ''Tunnelvision'' by [[Blue Sky (artist)|Blue Sky]] located in [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]], [[South Carolina]]
Image:Italian_landscape_mural.jpg| A trompe l'oeil depicting an Italian lanscape, designed by [[Pascal Amblard]] and completed by understudy Patricia Buzo.
</gallery>
== Trompe-l'œil artists ==
'''[[Old Masters]]'''
* [[Masaccio]]
* [[Luca Giordano]]
* [[Andrea Pozzo]]
* [[Charles Willson Peale]]
'''19th Century and Modern Masters'''
* [[John Haberle]]
* [[William Harnett]]
* [[René Magritte]]
'''Contemporary'''
* [[Pascal Amblard]]
* [[Julian Beever]] who creates Trompe-l'œil chalk drawings on pavement
* [[István Orosz]] ([[Utisz]])
* [[John F. Peto]]
* [[Susan Powers]]
== Usage in movies ==
* [[Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind]]
* [[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]
* [[Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory]] (1971)
==See also==
{{commons}}
* [[Photorealism]]
* [[Anamorphosis]]
* [[Optical illusion]]
==External links==
* [http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2002/slideshow/slide-176-1.shtm Deceptions and Illusions], National Gallery of Art exhibition on Trompe-l'œil paintings
* [http://www.uh.edu/~englmi/BorgesBaroqueIllusionism/ Trompe l'œil Tricks: Borges' Baroque Illusionism], essay by Lois Parkinson Zamora comparing trompe-l'œil to the literature of [[Jorge Luis Borges|Borges]]
* [http://murals.trompe-l-oeil.info murals.trompe-l-oeil.info], More than 10 000 pictures and 1200 Outdoor murals of France and Europe
* [http://www.patricias-palette.com/history.html Discover the art of trompe], A short history of trompe l'oeil painting including a list of links.
* Monkey in a Fire Place by [http://www.no1no1street.co.uk/ Andrew Regan] A good example of trompe l'oeil.
* [http://sma.nebo.edu/swap/pkt/foolingtheeye/history.html Fooling the eye] Fooling The Eye: A history of trompe l'oeil.
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