Is Everything Quite What It Seems?

Flights of fancy are second nature to me. Ordinary life can, rather too often in my view, be just that so I love nothing better than to daydream of yet to be visited foreign lands, to surf the virtual reality of the Blogosphere, or to lose myself in the latest book of a favourite author.

It is, perhaps, no surprise, therefore, that trompe-l'oeil has always held a fascination for me. I never cease to be amazed that, with paint alone, the eye can be deceived so completely. A technical tour-de-force, which can render flat surfaces three-dimensional, can produce space where none exists and can even bring alive whole scenes of people and places when they are but figments of the imagination.

Invented in antiquity, established by the Romans, named by the French, developed during the Renaissance and progressively perfected ever since, trompe-l'oeil has a deliberate intention to trick the eye, to fool to the point of confusion and to blur the boundaries of fantasy and reality. Such visual trickery can be remarkable, even breathtaking, when carried out well.

Occasionally, and most particularly on a Sunday, I like to lunch in the restaurant of the Tate Gallery. Not only does one eat well, but one may also escape into the imaginary world of 'Epicurania', an extensive and impressive trompe-l'oeil mural by Rex Whistler which, dating from 1927, covers the walls of the dining room. Collaborating with the novelist Edith Olivier, Whistler depicts the story of seven people on an 'Expedition in Search of Rare Meats'. On bicycles, carts and horses, the travellers pass through strange and wonderful lands, encountering unicorns, truffle dogs and giant gluttons en route. The story ends with a joyful homecoming, the diet of dry biscuits having been replaced with all manner of exotic foods gathered along the way.

At Plas Newydd, on the Island of Anglesey, Whistler was commissioned by the Marquess of Anglesey in the period between the wars to paint a mural for the dining room. This magnificent optical illusion must count as his greatest work. Highly realistic, meticulous with its attention to detail, witty yet serious, this is a glorious tribute to the art of trompe-l'oeil and to a great British artist killed tragically young whilst on active service in Normandy in 1944.

And so I ponder, should my Budapest entrance hall be transformed in the manner of Francesco Borromini's C17 arcaded gallery in the Palazzo Spada in Rome? Or, should my somewhat dull wardrobe doors be restyled as Jackie Kennedy's dressing room in the 1970s? Or, indeed, should my garden pavilions be painted with the most prized collection of potted orchids, alive and in bloom for all time? Such is the stuff of which dreams are made!

P.S. Today's picture, depicting a self portrait of the artist Rex Whistler, shows a small corner of the mural in the dining room of Plas Newydd.

P.P.S. Thank you to so many readers who left such kind and generous comments for me during my extended Christmas break.