a stylized collage of items on a café table, including a bottle, newspaper, and pipe

Cubism and the Trompe l’Oeil Tradition

Braun, Emily, and Elizabeth Cowling, with contributions by Claire Le Thomas and Rachel Mustalish

2022

288 pages

251 illustrations

This title is in print.

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About the authors

The age-old tradition of pictorial illusionism known as trompe l’oeil (“deceive the eye”) employs visual tricks that confound the viewer’s perception of reality and fiction, truth and falsehood. This radically new take on Cubism shows how Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Juan Gris both parodied and paid homage to classic trompe l’oeil themes and motifs. The authors connect Cubist works to trompe l’oeil specialists of earlier centuries by juxtaposing more than one hundred Cubist paintings, drawings, and collages with related compositions by old masters. The informed and engaging texts trace the changing status of trompe l’oeil over the centuries, reveal Braque’s training in artisanal trompe l’oeil techniques as an integral part of his Cubist practice, examine the material used in Gris’s collages, and discuss the previously unstudied trompe l’oeil iconography within Cubist still lifes.

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Medley Print: Sot's Paradise, George Bickham, Sr. British, Etching and engraving, printed in black and red ink — Medley Print: Sot's Paradise
George Bickham, Sr.
1706–7

Old Souvenirs, John F. Peto American, Oil on canvas, American — Old Souvenirs
John F. Peto
ca. 1881–1901

Book and Glass, Juan Gris Spanish, Conté crayon, charcoal, wax crayon, watercolor, gouache, oil, cut-and-pasted printed and selectively varnished wallpaper, blue and white laid papers, transparentized paper, and printed white wove papers; adhered overall onto a sheet of torn newspaper, adhered to primed canvas; subsequently mounted to a honeycomb panel — Book and Glass
Juan Gris
Paris, spring 1914

The Bottle, Juan Gris Spanish, Conté crayon, wax crayon, gouache, watercolor, cut-and-pasted newspaper, printed wallpaper (two types), white, brown, and tan wove cut papers; adhered overall onto newspaper, mounted to primed canvas — The Bottle
Juan Gris
Paris, spring–summer 1914

Checkerboard and Playing Cards, Juan Gris Spanish, Gouache, graphite, and resin on cream-colored wove paper, mounted to paperboard — Checkerboard and Playing Cards
Juan Gris
Paris, 1915

"Antonius" Violin, Antonio Stradivari Italian, Maple, spruce, ebony, Italian (Cremona) — "Antonius" Violin
Antonio Stradivari
1711

Fruit Dish and Glass, Georges Braque French, Charcoal and cut-and-pasted printed wallpaper with gouache on white laid paper; subsequently mounted on paperboard — Fruit Dish and Glass
Georges Braque
Sorgues, autumn 1912

Bottle, Glass, and Newspaper, Georges Braque French, Charcoal and cut-and-pasted newspaper and printed wallpaper on gessoed paperboard (commercial board from mirror backing) — Bottle, Glass, and Newspaper
Georges Braque
Paris, early 1914

Bottle, Glass, and Pipe (Violette de Parme), Georges Braque French, Cut-and-pasted newspaper, painted paper and wallpaper, charcoal, graphite, and gouache on paperboard — Bottle, Glass, and Pipe (Violette de Parme)
Georges Braque
Paris, early 1914

Still Life with a Guitar, Juan Gris Spanish, Oil on canvas — Still Life with a Guitar
Juan Gris
1913

Violin and Engraving, Juan Gris Spanish, Oil, sand, collage on canvas — Violin and Engraving
Juan Gris
1913

Bottle of Rosé Wine, Juan Gris Spanish, Cut-and-pasted printed wallpapers, laid and wove papers, printed packaging, conté crayon, gouache, oil, watercolor, newspaper, and wax crayon, selectively varnished, on newspaper mounted on canvas — Bottle of Rosé Wine
Juan Gris
Paris, 1914

Cup, Glasses, and Bottle (Le Journal), Juan Gris Spanish, Conté crayon, gouache, oil, cut-and-pasted newspaper, white laid paper, printed wallpaper (three types), selectively varnished; adhered overall onto a sheet of newspaper, mounted to primed canvas — Cup, Glasses, and Bottle (Le Journal)
Juan Gris
Paris, spring–summer 1914

Flowers, Juan Gris Spanish, Conté crayon, gouache, oil, wax crayon, cut-and-pasted printed wallpapers, printed wove paper, newspaper, white laid and wove papers on canvas; subsequently mounted on a honeycomb panel — Flowers
Juan Gris
Paris, spring–summer 1914

The Musician’s Table, Juan Gris Spanish, Conté crayon, wax crayon, gouache, cut-and-pasted printed wallpaper, blue and white laid papers, transparentized paper, newspaper, and brown wrapping paper; selectively varnished on canvas — The Musician’s Table
Juan Gris
1914

A Bachelor's Drawer, John Haberle American, Oil on canvas, American — A Bachelor's Drawer
John Haberle
1890–94

The Artist's Letter Rack, William Michael Harnett American, Oil on canvas, American — The Artist's Letter Rack
William Michael Harnett
1879

Still Life—Violin and Music, William Michael Harnett American, Oil on canvas, American — Still Life—Violin and Music
William Michael Harnett
1888

Still Life with Grapes and a Bird, Antonio Leonelli (Antonio da Crevalcore) Italian, Oil on canvas — Still Life with Grapes and a Bird
Antonio Leonelli (Antonio da Crevalcore)
ca. 1500–1510

Composition with Violin, Pablo Picasso Spanish, Cut-and-pasted newspaper, graphite, charcoal, and ink on white laid paper; subsequently mounted to paperboard — Composition with Violin
Pablo Picasso
Paris, 1912

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Braun, Emily, Elizabeth Cowling, Claire Le Thomas, and Rachel Mustalish. 2022. Cubism and the Trompe l’oeil Tradition. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Cubism and the Trompe l’Oeil Tradition

Met Art in Publication

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Cubism and the Trompe l’Oeil Tradition

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