



Untitled
This work by Jochen Mühlenbrink presents a childlike drawing of a crowned figure resembling a princess, painted directly onto a polished mirror surface and framed in natural wood. The artist employs his signature trompe l'oeil technique to simulate condensation drips and water traces running down the reflective surface, creating a convincing illusion that blurs the boundary between paint and physical phenomenon. The naive, cartoon-like rendering of the crowned figure contrasts with the technical sophistication of the painted illusion, exemplifying Mühlenbrink's exploration of the banal and the conceptual. The mirror substrate adds a further layer of perceptual play, implicating the viewer's own reflection within the image.
- Medium
- Paint on mirror
- Spotted At
- Gallery · Gether Contemporary
Notes
Artist born 1980, Germany. Studied at Düsseldorf Art Academy 2001–2007 under Markus Lüpertz. Works held in collections including Museum X Beijing, G2 Kunsthalle Leipzig, Stadtmuseum Oldenburg, Deutsche Bundesbank, Collectie DE.GROEN Arnhem. Known for Trompe l'oeil technique using tape and paint. Lives and works in Düsseldorf and Oldenburg.
More by Jochen Mühlenbrink
Spotted works by Jochen Mühlenbrink
Artists in conversation
Tjalf Sparnaay
Dutch · b. 1954
Sparnaay is a leading hyperrealist painter whose meticulous depictions of mundane everyday objects share Mühlenbrink's obsession with surface texture and the philosophical tension between painted illusion and physical reality.
Graham Durward
Scottish · b. 1963
Durward creates trompe l'oeil paintings of tape, torn paper and adhesive residues on canvas, directly paralleling Mühlenbrink's fascination with ephemeral studio materials rendered in hyperrealistic paint.
Audrey Flack
American · b. 1931
As a photorealist pioneer Flack explored reflective surfaces and the perceptual ambiguity between image and object, aligning closely with Mühlenbrink's conceptual interrogation of how painting deceives the eye.


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