The line between illusion and illustration will be blurred at Gallery Fraga this summer as it aims to deceive and play games with the eye in a cleverly sophisticated setting — a group fine art exhibit of trompe l’oeil.

Trompe l’oeil, (pronounced trawmp-loi) is a French term, meaning literally “trick the eye.”

It’s an art form — a cross between illusionism and realism — which creates the illusion of reality.

Trompe L’oeil took off with the discovery of perspective in 15th century Italy and has since been an intellectual game of sorts that artists have played with their audiences.

The game has taken many forms — from the 17th century baroque-style cathedral ceilings that give onlookers the impression they are looking into the heavens to today’s television commercials that show Toyota’s newest model seemingly driving through the desert when it’s actually driving in front of an enormous contemporary trompe l’oiel-style painting inside of a warehouse studio.

For a moment each piece fools the eye.

Upon inspection, the viewer can begin to appreciate the ridiculously meticulous and vast amount of work the artist has put into the painting.

“Just when you think you’ve figured out which is real, you go … ‘Now wait a minute, which one was it?’” gallery owner Jeff Fraga said, staring at one of Donald Clapper’s pieces in the show “Williams, Which Stamp Is Real.” It exemplifies “the game” by recreating an envelope with two stamps — one real, one of paint — asking the viewer to decide which is which and to redefine that line between art and reality.

Along with that which separates those two, a few other lines are also being softened as the Gallery Fraga welcomes what it’s billing as “the largest, most diverse collection of trompe l’oeil fine art ever shown west of the Hudson River.”

For instance, this is the first group show that the gallery has done all year, secondly, it is also the gallery’s longest running exhibit of the year – slated for July 6 through Sept. 1.

“We decided to go for two months, kind of summer long, because it will give people the most time to come out and enjoy it,” Fraga said. “It’s fun for people who like the art of illusion.”

And, those who love the art of illusion most may need that time to revisit the exhibit again and again just to soak in the full spectrum what will be offered. Eight contemporary artists are contributing to a collection of more than 30 pieces, some of which are coming straight from fine art museum tours.

What makes the show even a bit more intriguing is trompe l’oeil’s current state of affairs in a somewhat abstract contemporary art world.

“There are only 15-20 full time, professional artists in America who practice this art form (full-time),” said Larry Charles, co-founder of the Arizona-based Trompe L’oiel Society of Artists. “To be able to get eight of them in one gallery is a minor miracle.”

The idea for that pending “minor miracle” sparked at Gallery Fraga back in 2004. Fraga reached out to the Trompe l’oeil Society, and for the past three years they’ve been collaborating to curate the show.

Through the partnership they’ve brought together American artists hailing from each coast, the deserts of the southwest and even some international artwork coming from Belgium by Lorena Kloosterboer, a member of the Society.

In one of the four pieces Kloosterboer submitted called “Water Not Included,” she took on an interesting trompe task — plastic water guns. She’s also entered more traditional style work like postcards and the backside of a painting.

“It’s really full of wit and sophistication, no matter, what it’s going to be one of those shows that will be fun to look at,” Fraga said. “(The show) really runs the spectrum, from the very traditional, like envelopes, currency and stamps … to the more contemporary.”

Twenty-nine-year-old artist Andrew Denman is one of the furthest reaching into the contemporary from the show. A bonafide wildlife artist, Denman creates all sorts of still life realism and puts it on top of modern collage backdrops. Artists Robert Kirkpatrick, Becky Bening, Michael Molner and Charles each do many traditional objects on top of precisely intricate wood grain backgrounds.

Every one of the pieces in the show will be exact life-size replicas of whatever objects it features in whichever perspective the viewer is looking. Those details matched with the depth of a piece are what make it trick the eye.

But enough of that spoiler’s rationale. For now, revel in the ambiguity between reality and realism as the Gallery Fraga hosts “The Best of Trompe L’oeil Today,” July 6 through Sept. 1.

“If you don’t nurture it, it will disappear,” Charles said.