Trompe L’oeil in Art and Life
How we abdicated free-thinking for groupthink
A Trompe l’oeil is an amazing sight.
Trompe-l’œil: This style of faux painting creates an optical illusion, making objects appear three-dimensional or giving the impression of depth on a flat surface.
Trompe L’oeil can be found on the interior wall of a home or restaurant or, thanks to the mind-blowing talents of today’s street artists, on the side of a building, wherever they’re a sight to behold.
Producing realism with paint and brush requires a special talent and an eye for color, texture, and perspective.
Sadly, we are becoming a society of human Trompe L’oeils. Faux finishes of who we aspire to be. We veneer ourselves with what we consume on social platforms and every other form of media.
Slick marketers, feckless politicians, and armies of well-paid influencers are spoon-feeding us, all trying to curry favor with us by playing to our vanities and insecurities.
Modern society is being prayed upon by social platforms, politicians, and marketers vying for our eyeballs, wallets, and votes. Disingenuous on every level, we, as a society, find ourselves in a controlled environment where algorithms and distortion play to our worst instincts. We are giving control of ourselves over to those seeking…