PHOTOREALISM

Reporter: Vanerie M. Manumbale

Photorealism

- The word Photorealism was coined by Louis K. Meisel in 1969

- also referred to as Superrealism or Hyperrealism, it is the genre of art that includes
painting, drawing and other realistic media that was coined in reference to those artists
whose work relied intensely upon photographs, which they frequently anticipated onto
canvas permitting pictures to be recreated with exactness and precision. It became
animated in 1960s through the 1970s in America as an opposing force to Abstract
Expressionism. In its resistance, photorealism aligned itself to Pop Art, and the two fields
of art worked in view of photography.

Characteristics
Qualities of photorealist painting incorporate outrageous detail and exactness, great clarity,
emotional neutrality and often banal subject matter (scenes, still lifes or representations).
Photorealist artist require impressive technical skill so as to make realistic lighting, reflections,
or reflected impact.

How Photorealist Art is created

A photorealist work consistently starts with a photo, or numerous photos. The artist at
that point reproduces this photo in an alternate medium such that looks as identical as possible to
the original image.

History:

The art movement emerged in the United States in the late 1960s and reached its height in the
1970s. A style mostly associated with paintings (however, some artists have created
photorealistic sculptures) it came about in reaction to two environmental factors.

Firstly, around the 1960’s, two art movements dominated art world tastes. Abstract
Expressionism and Minimalism were in fashion and both favoured the artists’ ideas, processes
and subjectivities, over interpretations of the real world. Secondly, around the same time, images
began flowing profusely into people’s everyday lives as camera technology rapidly advanced.
The image, as a visual representation of something or someone, began to lose its value as it
flooded the mainstream and no longer had a prominent place in art. Like with Pop Art,
Photorealism emerged as a reaction to this. Whilst Pop Art commented on the influx of images
into our society through critique, Photorealism instead exalted the image.

The movement was first coined and defined by the American author and dealer Louis K. Meisel
in 1969/1970, through five very specific criteria:

1. The Photo-Realist uses the camera and photograph to gather information.

2. The Photo-Realist uses a mechanical or semi mechanical means to transfer the
information to the canvas.
3. The Photo-Realist must have the technical ability to make the finished work appear
photographic.
4. The artist must have exhibited work as a Photo-Realist by 1972 to be considered one of
the central Photo-Realists.
5. The artist must have devoted at least five years to the development and exhibition of
Photo-Realist work.

The first generation of Photorealist artists

1. John Baeder
- A master of classic Americana, he is known for his success in Photorealist portrayal of
roadside diners and eateries. His artwork incorporates unique subject matter including:
manufactured dining cars, roadside imagery, and vast impressions from mid-century
America.

Artworks:

JIM’S DINER, 2008. Watercolor on paper. Sheet: 22-1/2″ x 30″ (57.2 x 76.2 cm)
 JOHN'S DINER with JOHN’S CHEVELLE, 2007. 30 x 48", oil on canvas

2. Chuck Close
- Chuck Close is noted for his highly inventive techniques used to paint the human face.
He rose to fame in the late 1960s for his large-scale, photo-realist portraits. He is a
modern American artist who has achieved international recognition for his large scale
portraits. He was instrumental in reviving the art of portraiture as a credible subject
matter at a time when figurative art looked dead in the water.
-
Artworks:

BIG NUDE, 1967. Acrylic on gessoed canvas. 117 x 253.5 in. (297.2 x 643.9 cm)

 SELF PORTRAIT in progress 1997. oil on canvas, (102"x84")
3. Richard Estes
- best known for his paintings of city scenes in New York. Compiling his compositions
from multiple source photographs. He often incorporates reflective surfaces, such as shop
windows and shiny cars, yielding mirrored imagery that serves to enhance what the naked
eye is capable of perceiving.

Artworks:

JONE’S DINER, 1979. Oil on canvas

 WATER TAXI, MOUNT DESERT, 1999. Oil on canvas

4. Charles Bell
- drew inspiration for his large-scale still lifes from America’s love affair with toys and
arcade games. His subject matter was mostly vintage toys, pinball machines, gumball
machines, marbles, and dolls and action figures, arranged in imaginary scenes and
dynamic compositions, cast in dramatic studio lighting. 

Artworks:

FIREBALL 500, 1995.Silkscreen. 72.4 × 83.8 cm

 CIRCUS ACT, 1995. 29 x 31 in. (73.7 x 78.7 cm). Digital Print

5. Audrey Flack
- Known for pioneering the photorealist genre of art, particularly with portrayals of
women, everyday objects, and moments in relatively recent history. She turned to
figurative self-portraiture, a change in direction that was a response in part to challenging
personal circumstances.

Artworks:

WORLD WAR II (VANITAS), 1976–1977 .Oil over acrylic on canvas.243.8 x 243.8 cm.
 QUEEN, 1976 .Acrylic on canvas.80 x 80 in. (203.2 x 203.2 cm.)

6. Ralph Goings
-  best known for his paintings of 35mm color slides that illustrate the familiar, middle-
class imagery of California. His watercolors and oil paintings depict the interiors
of quintessentially American subjects such as diners, laundromats, gas
stations, and pickup trucks with a carefully observed level of detail and
smooth handling of paint. 

Artworks:

DOUBLE KETCHUP, 1996-97. Oil on canvas. 40 x 60 in. (101.6 x 152.4 cm.)

 AMSTERDAM DINER, 1980. Oil on canvas. 44 × 59 3/4 in111.8 × 151.8 cm

7. Robert Bechtle
- American Photorealist painter known for his depictions of sunlit streets and
everyday life. With a distinctive, non-narrative aesthetic, his watercolors and
oil paintings document friends, family, automobiles, and architecture in the
San Francisco Bay Area.

Artworks:

71 BUICK, 1952. Oil on canvas. (121.6 x 172.7 cm

 AGUA CALIENTE NOVA, 1975. Oil on Canvas
8. Howard Kanovitz
- was a leader of Photo Realism: a documenter of style and fashion, depicting members of
the art scene at openings, or superimposing known critics and curators onto images of
board room meetings. In his particular style, he explored the intersections of painting,
photography, fiction, and fact.

Artworks:

THE PEOPLE, 1967 Sérigraphie sur Plexiglas. 40 × 40 × 6 cm

THE OPENING, 1967.  4.75 x 6.75 inches
References
ArtHaus. (2020). Photorealism. Retrieved from https://artshaus.co.uk/guide-to-common-art-
terms- styles/photorealism
Artnet. (2020). Ralph Goings  (American, 1928–2016). Retrieved from
http://www.artnet.com/artists/ralph-goings/
Artsy. (2018). John Baeder. Retrieved from https://www.artsy.net/artist/john-baeder
Artyfactory. (2020). Chuck Close. Retrieved from
https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/portraits/chuck_close.html
Baker, K. (2013). Robert Bechtle's artwork speaks for him. Retrieved from
https://www.sfgate.com/art/article/Robert-Bechtle-s-artwork-speaks-for-him-
4432898.php#photo-4465529
Bonito, V. A. Ph. D. (2013). John Baeder’s Diner Paintings and the Tradition of the Veduta.
Retrieved from http://www.johnbaeder.com/bio/
Jonathan Novak Contemporary World. (2020). John Baeder. Retrieved from
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https://www.thoughtco.com/audrey-flack-4690078
Rutledge, S. (2018) The Photorealism Paintings of Charles Bell. Retrieved from
https://worldofwonder.net/artdept-the-photorealsim-paintings-of-charles-bell/
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Weber, B. (2009). Howard Kanovitz, 79, Who Recreated the Real, Dies
Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/arts/design/09kanovitz.html