Charline Tyberghein – Extra Time (AP)

About Charline Tyberghein

Charline Tyberghein’s spellbinding paintings combine the visual illusions of Op art with the clever wit of contemporary figurative painting. A master of trompe l’oeil, or tricking the eye, the Belgian artist presents everyday objects, patterns, and surfaces warping into one another, mixing together form and function with a charming wink towards the viewer. In her world, a curtain of metal chains will twist and bend to form a smoking face, a dripping jug will emerge from a brick wall, and a small umbrella will faintly appear atop a lavender shirt. Like the feeling of spotting the shape of an animal floating in the clouds, Tyberghein’s paintings boast a sense of visual magic—but the artist keeps the meaning behind these symbols close to her chest. “I want to leave it open for interpretation,” she has said. “I want people to project their own messy lives on my paintings.”