Trompe l'oeil is a style of painting that creates a sense of illusion in order to open up more space and depth.

At its most effective, trompe l’oeil involves several painted plans and realistic, three-dimensional painting techniques. An architectural frame, such as a window or an arch, is often painted in the foreground in real or almost real scale, in whatever style is most suitable for the location. In most cases, trompe-l’oeil also requires the use of perspective that continues through the different layers of the background until it reaches the horizon line.

This type of art dates back to the wall paintings in Pompeii, in the late Roman imperial period, which are characterized by an ornamental and intricate style. We also find trompe-l’oeil in the churches of the early Renaissance and in the murals in Italian palazzos and villas. Most of the Great Masters used this technique when working on commissioned murals, including Giotto (c. 1267-1337), Mantegna (c. 1431-1506), Veronese (1528-1588), and Tiepolo (1696-1770), to name a few. Trompe-l’oeil came into fashion again the 1980s; one of the greatest American artists to use this form was Richard Hass (b. 1936). In 1996, Salon, an international gathering of decorative artists in this field, was founded in France to promote and exhibit this unique style of art; Lucretia Moroni was one of its founders.

Dublin, Ireland, 2019

This mural was painted in the garden of a private residence in the south of central Dublin, close to Fitzwilliam Square. The Square, built in the late eighteenth century, was the smallest and the last of the five Georgian Squares to be built in Dublin.

The mural needed to be viewed from three levels and from two sides — from the back of the house and from the garden itself. I conceptualized this mural as a bird’s eye view, with the horizon seen from the second level, through the windows of the client’s study, and with the entire mural measuring twenty-one feet long and thirteen feet high. The subject was Ireland itself, from the center of Dublin to the outskirts of the city surrounded by green fields. We made a list of both historical and contemporary buildings and areas to be painted, including Trinity College, Dublin Castle, bridges over the River Liffey, and other Georgian squares and townhouses. The sky was inspired by M. C. Escher’s famous woodcut “Day and Night,” in which ducks are flying in both directions, as ducks are frequent visitors to the garden’s pond. The Boston Ivy mimics the ivy growing around several buildings in the square, and the soft color palette was chosen to create more depth and distance between the mural and the exterior walls of the patio.

The mural was made with Keim mineral paint. In contrast to acrylic or exterior paint, which contains plastic and does not penetrate into the wall, mineral paint breathes naturally on masonry, uses true mineral colors, and does not fade, blister, or peel. This paint is the closest available today to the original fresco technique.

Bethesda Fountain Arcade, Central Park, New York

In 1991, we completed twenty-four murals for the Bethesda Fountain Arcade in New York’s Central Park. All panels are Botticino marble, and were painted in trompe l’œil to look like marble inlays and bas-reliefs. The design was inspired by the original ornaments on the outside staircase panels and by the sketches of the architect Calvert Vaux, which were completed at the time the Arcade was built.

This public project was commissioned by the Central Park Conservancy and the Art Commission of the City of New York. The project was sponsored by Revlon, Princess Borghese, and the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy.

Noboa Dining Room, New York, NY

This large dining room was designed by the Chilean-American interior designer Juan Pablo Molyneux. Moroni's painting of the room and ceiling was inspired by the Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna.

Rendering and murals inspired by Pre-Columbian art, Chile

Exterior of mural in Palm Beach, Florida