Trompe l'oeil murals by Ron Francis Trompe l'oeil murals are paintings usually on walls, but can be on any other paintable surface, that create the illusion of a third dimension.
Most people use trompes to enlarge an area, so that they can look out of a room into another area.
However, trompes can also intrude into an area, such as shelving, paintings hanging on a wall or even a teacup on a table top. The perspective in a mural will generally work from only one position. The further away from that viewing position one is, the more the mural will look like a traditional painting. A mural can have several sections in it that are meant to be viewed from different positions. Restricting the viewing position can be achieved in several ways.