1790
watercolor
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Trompe l'Oeil: Prints with Men and Sheep, Using Original Copperplates is a 1790 watercolor by Milanese 18th Century, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This oval print shows three smaller images stuck to a flat surface. One corner has a faded portrait of an older man in profile. Another spot shows a group of sheep lying down in a field. The last is a close-up of a bearded man in a hat. The border is packed with swirling designs that look carved into wood. The sheep picture is signed in the corner, and the whole thing looks like it’s meant to fool your eye into thinking it’s real. The colors are soft—browns and tans—with just a hint of ochre (that’s a yellowish paint). If you like this trick of making flat art look real, look up technique: watercolor, glazing.
This artist made playful prints that look like real prints. They used copper plates and painted colors on top to trick your eye into seeing depth, sheep, or even a calling card. In *Trompe l'Oeil: Landscapes and Sheep,…
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
