Abstract:

In this article, the trompe l’oeil technique and the ceramic tree forms created by the related technique are examined. The term trompe l’oeil means deceiving the eye in French. The term was first used in 1803 to describe a specific type of description. It has been characterized by the idea that what appears is not real, and this is an illusion of the eye due to hyper-realistic appearances that are very similar to reality. The tromple l’oeil technique has also been described as “Any drawing, painting, etc. trying to give the impression of reality without aiming at a pictorial effect on a plane with art content.” Although the trompe l’oeil technique initially manifested itself in the field of painting, ceramic examples were also included in the following years. The technique in question, which is characterized as an illusion of the eye due to hyper-realistic views that are very similar to reality, not reality, is very difficult to apply on ceramic surfaces. While it is possible to instantly see the result of the color applied to the surface in painting works, the fact that the pigments applied to the surface in ceramic works subsequently change in the atmosphere of the furnace which makes makes it difficult to apply this technique in ceramic works. The applicability of the technique on ceramic surfaces requires special methods and techniques. In such studies, success is achieved as a result of many trials. It has been observed that some artists process fine details in their production processes to better reflect the texture of the tree, while others apply a similar creation to situations that occur in natural formation. In this process, it is understood that they try to capture random tissues to obtain natural tissues such as kneading, stretching and compressing the mud. It has been observed that some artists have pre-colored the body to achieve a realistic appearance, using clay or grog bodies with paper doped. On the other hand, it was also understood that they interfered with some works with acrylic sizes. Trompe l’oeil ceramic works, which are put forward by imitating nature, are the study of the tree, which is a part of nature, with the soil, which is again a part of nature. Artists explained their thoughts by thinking that clay naturally takes on the characteristics of the soil, observing the tree excites creative expression, because it shows the promise of renewal in birth events, and the inevitability of new life through death and decay in aging processes. Many artists working with the related technique emulated nature with works similar to trees and wood, and based the content of the works on a conceptual basis. In their works, they tried to explain concepts such as growth, aging and death through trees. It has been observed that they dealt with not the green aspect of nature but generally rotting and burning wood pieces, dry branches, and other elements related to the trunk and branches of the tree. It can be said that such works, which are too successful to be distinguished from wood and wooden structures can be viewed by the audience in different venues such as galleries and they invite viewers to nature.

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