Ron Isaacs Debutes Trompe L'oeil Dress Sculpture

Disclaimer: the French term “Trompe L’oeil” directly translates to “deceive the eye,” meaning that when it comes to trompe L’oeil sculpture art, the realistic piece before you is actually an optical illusion, an object that appears to be, but in fact is not, three dimensional. That being said, it's not totally surprising that I momentarily considered the all too real-looking slew of trompe l’oeil sculptures by Ron Isaacs of flowing dresses with leaf detail to be the next additions to my summer wardrobe. Instead, I guess they would make a lovely addition to my bedroom wall.

Take a look at Ron Isaacs’s beautifully crafted dresses and blouses. The resemblance between his artwork and a real piece of clothing is so uncanny, that one could easily assume he made exceptionally brilliant use of cotton material and dry forest leaves. Instead, each dress and shirt is a combination of plywood and acrylic paint. The detailing of wrinkles comes from Isaacs's layered Finnish birch while trompe l’oeil paint completes the piece by creating an illusion of depth.

Issaac's admits that he finds himself fascinated "by the old simple idea of resemblance, the very first idea of art after tools and shelter: That an object made of one material can take on the outward appearance and therefore some of the ‘reality' of another."

Amazing.

Image: lanasangels/Instagram