The term “trompe l’oeil,” meaning “fool the eye,” is an art style that was popular in the 19th century. By then, artists and audiences had enjoyed optical illusions for thousands of years. The original trompe l’oeil style dates back much further.
An ancient Greek story tells of the legendary painter Zeuxis, whose still-life paintings were so realistic that birds would fly down to peck the grapes. A…