Photorealism

Photorealism is a special kind of art where artists look very closely at photographs and try to copy them as exactly as they can, but using different materials like paint or pencil. This helps artists make their work look almost exactly like a real photo.

The word "Photorealism" can mean many things, but it especially names a group of American painters who started doing this kind of work in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These artists studied real-life photos very carefully and then used their skills to make paintings that look almost like photographs.

This style of art is interesting because it shows how artists can use different ways to show the world around us, making their work look very real and lifelike.

History

Photorealism is an art style where artists study photographs and then try to paint or draw what they see as realistically as possible. This style started in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States. It grew from Pop Art and was a reaction against Abstract Expressionism and Minimalist art.

Artists in this movement use photographs to gather information for their paintings. At first, many people criticized them for doing this, even though artists have used tools to help them for hundreds of years. By the time Photorealism began, photographs were the main way people saw the world, and many artists were focused on abstract art instead. Photorealists wanted to bring back the value of realistic images, different from both traditional realists and abstract artists. They were influenced by Pop Art and reacted against Abstract Expressionism.

The term "Photorealism" was first used in 1969 by Louis K. Meisel. Photorealist painters carefully copy photographs, often making their paintings larger than the original photo. They use techniques like projecting images or drawing grids to make their work very detailed and precise. Some famous Photorealist painters include Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, and Chuck Close. Even today, Photorealism continues to grow, with artists around the world creating incredibly lifelike paintings using new technologies.

List of photorealists

Original photorealists

Significant artists whose work helped define Photorealism include:

• John Baeder (born 1938)
• Robert Bechtle (1932–2020)
• Charles Bell (1935–1995)
• Tom Blackwell (1938–2020)
• Chuck Close (1940–2021)
• Robert Cottingham (born 1935)
• Don Eddy (born 1944)
• Richard Estes (born 1932)
• Audrey Flack (1931–2024)
• Ralph Goings (1928–2016)
• Denis Peterson (born 1944)
• Ian Hornak (1944–2002)
• Howard Kanovitz (1929–2009)
• John Kacere (1920–1999)
• Ron Kleemann (1937–2014)
• Malcolm Morley (1931–2018)
• John Salt (1937–2021)
• Ben Schonzeit (born 1942)

Photorealists

Significant artists whose work meets the criteria of Photorealism include:

• Steven Townsend (born 1955)
• Linda Bacon (born 1942)
• Mike Bayne (born 1977)
• Roberto Bernardi (born 1974)
• Arne Besser (1935–2012)
• Anthony Brunelli (born 1968)
• Bryan Charnley (1949–1991)
• Hilo Chen (born 1942)
• Davis Cone (born 1950)
• Randy Dudley (born 1950)
• Martin Gale (born 1949)
• Franz Gertsch (1930–2022)
• Robert Gniewek (born 1951)
• Gus Heinze (born 1926)
• Gottfried Helnwein (born 1948)
• Don Jacot (born 1949)
• Noel Mahaffey (born 1944)
• Dennis James Martin (1956–2001)
• Jack Mendenhall (born 1937)
• Kim Mendenhall (born 1949)
• Betrand Meniel (born 1961)
• Reynard Milici (born 1942)
• Marilyn Minter (born 1948)
• Robert Neffson (born 1949)
• William Nichols (born 1942)
• Jerry Ott (born 1947)
• James Torlakson (born 1951)
• Tjalf Sparnaay (born 1954)
• Paul Staiger (born 1941)
• Glennray Tutor (born 1950)
• Rod Penner (born 1965)
• Raphaella Spence (born 1978)
• Idelle Weber (1932–2020)
• Ken Orton (born 1951)
• Roger Winter (born 1934)

Other photorealists

• Clive Head (born 1965)