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John Frederick Peto - Still Life with Cake,Lemon Strawberries and Glass
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John Frederick Peto

John Frederick Peto was an American trompe l'oeil ("fool the eye") painter who was long forgotten until his paintings were rediscovered along with those of fellow trompe l'oeil artist William Harnett.
Although Peto and the slightly older Harnett knew each other and painted similar subjects, their careers followed different paths.
Both artists were masters of trompe l'oeil, a genre of still life that aims to deceive the viewer into mistaking painted objects for reality. Exploiting the fallibility of human perception, the trompe l'oeil painter depicts objects in accordance with a set of rules unique to the genre. For example, Peto and Harnett both represented the objects in their paintings at their actual size, and the objects rarely were cut off by the edge of the painting, as this would allow a visual cue to the viewer that the depiction was not real. But the main technical device was to arrange the subject matter in a shallow space, using the shadow of the objects to suggest depth without the eye seeing actual depth. Thus the term trompe l'oeil—"fool the eye". Both artists enthrall the viewer with a disturbing but pleasant sense of confusion.

More Artworks by John Frederick Peto (View all 36 Artworks)

Breakfast

Breakfast (c. 1890s)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Old Souvenirs

Old Souvenirs (ca. 1881–1901)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Crumbs of Comfort

Crumbs of Comfort (1887)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Umbrella, Hat and Carpet Bag

Umbrella, Hat and Carpet Bag (circa 1900)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Nine Books

Nine Books (ca. 1890–1900)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Jug, Book, Box And Mug

Jug, Book, Box And Mug

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Lights of Other Days

Lights of Other Days (1906)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Still Life with Mug and Pipe

Still Life with Mug and Pipe

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Hard Candy

Hard Candy

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Rack Picture for William Malcolm Bunn

Rack Picture for William Malcolm Bunn (1882)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Card Rack with a Jack of Hearts

Card Rack with a Jack of Hearts (c.1895)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Mug,Book,Biscuits and Match

Mug,Book,Biscuits and Match (1893)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
The Old Kettle

The Old Kettle (c. 1890s)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
Cucumber

Cucumber

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
The Arnold Inkwell

The Arnold Inkwell (1899)

John Frederick Peto (American, 1854 - 1907)
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