The Illusionist of the Inter-war Years To look at the work of Rex Whistler is to confront a deliberate deception. He did not merely paint; he constructed visual traps designed to trick the eye into forgetting the flat surface of a wall or canvas. This was the era of trompe l'oeil, and Whistler used it with a sharp, witty precision that defined his place within the fashionable circles of the Bright Young Things. His talent lay in creat…