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How did Harnett make the objects in The Old Violin look so convincing? The vertical composition and the shallow space it created were essential to the trompe l'oeil (French for "to fool the eye") effect. By filling the entire canvas with the impenetrable door, Harnett put the objects directly before the viewer, preventing the eye from moving into the work. The sheet music curls forward out of the painting with the violin and bow suspended above it, seemingly beyond the picture surface. Harnett purposely crinkled the edge of the news clipping and envelope to tease people into thinking they were real: several people "attempted the removal of the newspaper scrap with their finger-nails." |
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