[MUSIC PLAYING] SPEAKER: These paintings are all examples of the genre of art called trompe l'oeil. Translated from French, "tromple l'oeil" literally means "fools the eye." It's a style of art that makes you question if what you're seeing is real. It's this illusion of depth that artists create which tricks our eyes. 

When shapes get this third dimension of depth, they become forms. Form is one of the seven elements of art, along with line, shape, texture, value, space, and color. When given form, circles become spheres, squares become cubes, triangles become cones or pyramids. 

Form takes up space in either a real or implied way. In paintings and drawings, for instance, form is implied because it's an illusion of three dimensions. With sculpture, on the other hand, form is real because it takes up three-dimensional space. 

Visual artists to use light and shadow effects to create the illusion of the three-dimensional form. A strong sense of form can also be created by increasing contrast between highlights and shadow areas. Street artist Banksy uses this technique a lot. Notice how these human forms are made up of only white, black, and one shade of gray. 

Sometimes form can even be created by an artist's use of color. Artist Aakash Nihalani often juxtaposes brightly colored forms against neutral backgrounds to create the illusion of depth. Notice his forms don't incorporate any shading at all. 

These are just a few ways artists create forms and incorporate depth into their work. What are some other ways that artists create form? Is there a particular style or technique that draws you in and catches your eye? Mastering many different approaches to making form will give you unlimited options when creating your own artwork and will enable you to fool viewers' eyes in any way you choose. 

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