Photorealism

Olivio Tubaro, Madison Figurski, Sam Gomez

What is Photorealism?

Artistic style, creating a painting resembling a photograph accurately and detailed

Term coined by Louis K. Meisel › “They’re using the photograph, they’re being

very open about it. It’s photographic realism. I don’t know, Photorealism.”

Aims to create paintings that show what the camera sees

Referred to as: super-realism, new realism, sharp focus realism, and hyper-realism

The Beginning

United States

Late 1960’s, early 1970’s

Evolved from Pop Art and Impressionism

Reaction against Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism

“Marylin” – Andy Warhol “The Terrace” 1881 – Pierre Auguste

Pop Art Impressionism

Abstract Expressionism

Characteristics Use camera and photographs Mechanical means to transfer photo to

canvas› Projection› Grid technique

Canvas usually larger than original photo

Change and movement frozen in time Style- tight and precise Plain urban and suburban subject

matter

Invention of Photography

Artists deny their work is imitation

Caused artists to challenge themselves› Replicating what they saw

Many artists turned to a career in photography

Media and Materials

A photograph is an essential and mandatory tool for creating a photorealistic painting

Technical means of image transfer

Popular materials: pen, ink, watercolor, pastels, oils, and prints

Key Artists

Richard Estes Richard Bechtle Duane Hanson Robert Cottingham Chuck Close Don Eddy

Chuck Close

One of the biggest names of the Photorealism movement Used grids to transfer photographic information onto a canvas Painted with a sequence of colors to

reproduce a photograph Painted portraits

Self Portrait- Chuck Close(1969)

http://www.walkerart.org/calendar/2005/chuck-close-self-portraits-1967-2005

http://lh5.ggpht.com/yoelalmaguer/SO_lWK7h5VI/AAAAAAAAAtM/acCduJt3998/20081010_close02.jpg

http://danapress.typepad.com/.a/6a01156f9c01e7970c017d3ccd25ed970c-300wi

Mark- Chuck Close (1978-79)

http://abisdale.blogspot.com/2011/04/hanging-around-met.html

Leslie-Chuck Close, 1972

http://s3.amazonaws.com/pace-production/images/artworks/3285/normal/22550_CLOSE.jpg?1348236356

John- Chuck Close, 1971http://270c81.medialib.glogster.com/media/09/0958f1ef8c11fec7699530d080c81caefc490acef049ea45eac1bbb2d19ef4ea/close-310x310-jpg.jpg

Emma- Chuck Close

Herb- Chuck Close, 2003

http://images.artnet.com/artwork_images/826/156622.jpg

Don Eddy

Focuses on objects Merges many images onto one painting Draws a map of picture onto canvas Adds layers of color to produce an

image

Autumn Light- Don Eddy, 1986

http://www.nancyhoffmangallery.com/images/DE/large_DE01g22_autumnLight.jpg

http://artregister.com/SeavestIntroductiontoCollection/Catalogue/EddySilverShoes.html

Silver Shoes- Don Eddy, 1972

http://www.doneddyart.com/storage/Green%20underpainting%20stage.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1327870942508

Cyan layer of a painting

Brown layer of a painting

http://www.doneddyart.com/storage/Brown%20underpainting%20stage.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1327870990556

http://www.doneddyart.com/storage/Purple%20underpainting%20stage.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1327871038963

Purple layer of a painting

Overpainting stage of a picture http://www.doneddyart.com/

storage/Mono%20No%20Aware%20I.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1327871078317

Richard Estes

The leader of Photorealism

Specialized in Urban landscapes

Moments of emptiness

Liked reflections in windows and glass

Richard Estes- Candy Store (1969)

http://www.weareprivate.net/blog/?p=16239

Richard Estes- Thom Mcan Clothing Store (1974)http://www.weareprivate.net/blog/?p=16241

Richard Estes- Central Savings (1975)

Richard Estes- Telephone booths (1967)http://www.escapeintolife.com/painting/richard-estes/

Richard Estes- Nedick’s (1970)

Richard Bechtle

Influenced by Europe and Pop Art Painted mundane subjects such as cars Preferred suburban landscapes Took colored slides and projected them

onto a canvas “Snap Shot” images

Robert Bechtle- Foster’s Freeze, Escalon (1975)

http://horsesthink.com/?p=2434

Robert Bechtle- Jetta (2003)

http://www.artlies.org/article.php?id=1252&issue=47&s=1

Richard Bechtle- Agua Caliente Nova (1975)

http://www.artlies.org/article.php?id=1252&issue=47&s=1

Richard Bechtle- Potrero Table (1994)

http://www.artlies.org/article.php?id=1252&issue=47&s=1

Duane Hanson

Highly Realistic Sculptor Style: sculptors consist of life size casts from

human models of everyday people engaged in ordinary activities

Sculptors finished with clothing, hair, jewelry and other accessories

Unlike 2D paintings, Hanson’s 3D objects are familiar in their appearance.

His sculptors question: how should art exist? What should it be? What should it do? And how does the viewer interact?

Hella Heaven –Duane Hanson

Duane Hanson-Supermarket Shopper (1970)

Duane Hanson- Queenie II (1988)

Duane Hanson- Traveller (1988)

Duane Hanson- Tourists II (1988)

By Duane Hanson

Robert Cottingham Born in New York in 1935 Studied advertising and graphic design After graduating he was an art director at advertising

agencies where he was involved with all aspects of design and production

Style: the same character and subject matter he is known for, rendered images of neon signs, agricultural details, storefronts, and elements of urban America

He encourages the viewer to focus on the play of light and passage through time through his work as he records a 20th century landscape. He finds aspects of these paintings at awkward angles and use bold zones of colors situated in shallow spaces

RobertCottingham-ART

By Robert Cottingham

-Robert Cottingham

-Robert Cottingham

Critics/Audience

Attracted wide audience › New ways of painting› Illusions- reality

Art critics– “Not art, but masterful copying.”

The association of Photorealism to Trompe L’oeil, “fool the eye”, is wrongly attributed

Impact on art Today

Photorealist paintings still being created, but now with even more accuracy and precision with the help of technology› Hyperrealism

http://www.kqed.org/arts/programs/spark/profile.jsp?essid=4813