Photorealism is a popular and modern art style that emphasizes making a painting, drawing, or sculpture look as realistic and detailed as possible. Through the proper combination of shading, color, and light, photorealism gives artists the ability to create sculptures and works of art that look like realistic photographs.

The Photorealistic art movement started in the late 1960s and early 1970s with just a few artists. Today, there are a variety of artists that are creating stunning works of art in the medium. Here, we will discuss what photorealism is, some of its defining characteristics and common techniques, and famous examples of the genre.

What is Photorealism?

Photorealism is a form of art that is based on creating highly realistic images. Its main goal is to make pieces look so realistic that it appears to be a photograph. To achieve this goal, artists use a variety of techniques and materials such as oil painting or airbrushing.

The primary focus of photorealism is to create a photorealistic artwork that mimics photography as accurately as possible. Photorealistic art will often contain accurate renderings of people, objects, and scenes and use high contrast, sharpness, and accurate detailing to achieve an overall realistic response.

Artists who pursue this style of art attempt to show the viewer that they are interacting with “real life.” It is often said that “what can be photographed can be painted.” This captures the essence of photorealism and how artists are boundless in their ability to capture scenes, people, and objects and turn them into lifelike works of art.

Characteristics of Photorealism

Photorealism generally has several characteristics, all of which help it achieve its realism goals:

  • Sharpness: Photorealistic art is often characterized by a crisp, clear level of sharpness. Achieving this level of sharpness can be done with careful shading, light, and color application.
  • Color: When creating photorealistic art, a wide gamut of colors is often used. Additionally, the color is often very true to the original photograph or other reference material.
  • Details: Photorealism involves paying attention to even the tiniest of details in order to make the artwork look as realistic as possible. This could be anything from the folds in clothing to the reflection of light off of objects.
  • Realism: Probably the most important characteristic is that the artwork appears realistic. This means that the artwork should look like an actual photograph or other source material.

When combined, these characteristics help to create a piece of art that can nearly be mistaken for a photograph or other real-world example.

Photorealism Techniques

The techniques used by photorealists vary, as each artist may have their own unique style. However, many photorealists utilize common techniques such as airbrushing, blending, and stippling.

  • Airbrushing: Airbrushing is a technique used to create a smooth and blended look in an artwork. An air brush is used to spray various inks and dyes onto a surface
  • Blending: Blending is a technique used to blend colors together seamlessly. This could be done with a brush, a palette knife, or other tools.
  • Stippling: Stippling is a technique used to create texture in a work of art. It involves using small dots of various shades of color to create texture.

These techniques are often used by photorealists to achieve their goal of creating incredibly realistic works of art.

Famous Examples of Photorealism

There are many famous examples of photorealistic art throughout the world. Here are a few of the most well-known examples:

  • Chuck Close: Chuck Close is perhaps one of the best-known photorealists, as his works are often displayed in museums and galleries around the world. His portraits are particularly famous for their level of realism. Close states that

    “My ambition is to have each painting be as close to a abstraction of the source material as possible.”

  • Richard Estes: Richard Estes is another well-known photorealist who has achieved international acclaim. His works often feature cityscapes that are so realistic that one could easily mistake it for a photograph.
  • Yigal Ozeri: Yigal Ozeri is another popular photorealist who creates figurative paintings that often feature women in beautiful, tranquil settings. His works often feature hyper-realistic elements that blur the line between photography and painting.
  • Audrey Flack: Audrey Flack is a well-known photorealistic painter who creates works of art featuring significant female figures. She often combines details from pop culture and mythology to create stunning works of art.

These are just a few examples of the many photorealistic works of art that exist.

Conclusion

Photorealism is an art form that seeks to create works of art that mimic the realism of photography. This is achieved through various techniques such as airbrushing, blending, and stippling. Those who pursue this style of art often create highly realistic portraits, cityscapes, and other works of art. Photorealism has been made popular by many famous artists like Chuck Close, Richard Estes, Yigal Ozeri, and Audrey Flack.

The photorealistic art style gives artists the ability to create stunning works of art that can appear to be almost photographic. This makes photorealism a vibrant and popular style of art.

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Tags: Artistic Technique, Realism

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