Realistic paintings by artists. Photorealism
We have already argued a lot on this topic - it is impossible to argue with each other. Some people think that this is a stupid art of redrawing, and the other part answers them - “you try to draw like that yourself, and not some kind of square or triangular people.”
Of course, you should only look at such pictures “live.” It is difficult to look at them through photographs, because you perceive them as photographs. Half the time you can’t even believe that it’s a painting; you want to come closer and look at the strokes, make sure it’s not a print.
But while we look from the outside and are surprised...
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New York artist Yigal Ozeri was born in Israel. There is so much hyperrealism in his painting style that the paintings with the highest level of detail are stunning. You need to take a close look at the canvases to believe that the master painstakingly painted them with a brush, and did not shoot them with a digital camera. Yigal Ozeri is best known for his cinematic portraits of young women. His paintings are exhibited at exhibitions around the world.
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Photorealism is a direction in painting that appeared in America in the late 60s. last century. Photorealistic painting is impossible without photography. In photorealism, change and movement are frozen in time and meticulously represented by the artist.
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Yigal began his creative career as an abstract artist in Israel: “In my childhood there were practically no books on the history of art, and the ones that were there were with black and white pictures. When I first visited the Prado Museum in Madrid at age 30, I was struck by the paintings of Golden Age artists such as Velázquez and Murillo. Then it became clear to me that I needed to learn to draw again. I came to realism gradually.”
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Today Yigal Ozeri lives and works in New York. The technique in which he has been creating his works for the last 10 years is photorealism. Moving with his family to New York defined a new stage in his work.
I was very interested in the question of how the creative process of a photorealist artist goes, and Yigal described it in detail.
— The creative process is gradual, it all starts with the model, then I shoot photo and video material, which forms the basis for future paintings. Then I carefully select frames on the computer, which I project onto the wall, thus determining the size of the canvas and, based on the projection, I begin to work in oils with the largest brush. I start with an abstract drawing, it makes up 60-70% of the picture, the next stage is carefully drawn details, with thinner and finer brushes.
— How do you approach choosing a model?
— I met Olya (Olga Zueva, approx.) at a party in New York and, seeing her, I realized that SHE is the beauty of our time, so fragile, and, at the same time, very strong, spontaneous and inexplicable. Such beauty has never been seen in history - it is unique. I'm not shy about doing beauty. The theme of beauty is the main theme of my life. When I got to know Olya better, she became even more beautiful to me. Olya is a model, director, actress, cameraman, screenwriter and also a friend of Danila Kozlovsky.”
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— Yigal, in your works I see only images of women, but do you paint men?
— The theme of female beauty has a thousand-year history. I think Russian women are the most beautiful women in the world. I haven’t painted men yet, but perhaps for the exhibition that I plan to hold in Russia, I will draw Danila and Olya together - they are a very impressive couple, in my opinion.
— What kind of artist do you consider yourself? Israeli or American?
— Most likely, American. For me, an Israeli artist is David Reeve, who reflects the politics of Israel with painting, Eli Shamir, who depicts the nature of Galilee on his canvases, Rafi Lavi, Nahum Gutman...
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— Yigal, what do you think about realism in Russian painting?
— Russian realistic drawing is an academic drawing, it is an expression of the artist’s observations. My drawing is life on canvas, it is digital, precise, complex, technological and, at the same time, free, full of sounds of music and smells. I'm celebrating life!
Yigal Ozeri is a successful realist artist who paints pictures as clearly and clearly as he expresses his thoughts. For him, female beauty is a source of inspiration, and new technologies are tools for experimentation.
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Hyperrealism is a style of painting in which paintings resemble photographs. Sometimes you need to really take a very good look at the works to determine: is this a photo or a work of painting? Read on to learn about the essence of hyperrealism as an artistic movement and its best representatives.
Hyperrealism and photorealism: is there a difference?
Hyperrealism developed from photorealism at the end of the 20th century and moved to a new branch of development at the beginning of the 21st century. And the very concept of “hyperrealism” was coined by a French critic named Isy Brachot - it became the French equivalent of the word “photorealism”. Since then, hyperrealism has been used to describe the work of artists influenced by photorealism.
Photorealism arose as a reaction to the abstract art movement. Photorealism appeared in the USA in the 60s of the last century, and spread to Europe in the 70s. Photorealist artists create paintings that look so lifelike that, as the name of this movement suggests, they resemble high-resolution photographs.
The goal of photorealistic work is to obtain a technically accurate and clear result. Artists who paint in the style of photorealism may deliberately deprive their work of some emotional details if this violates the integrity of the narrative. The theme of photorealism, as in works of pop art, is everyday human life and its objects.
Hyperrealism, unlike photorealism, on the contrary, does not distance itself from the emotional component of the images, but adds a narrative character and new feelings to the paintings. It entails more than just precise technique. Such paintings can be super-realistic and detailed so much that in the end the picture represents some other reality, and not the one that was in the photograph or in reality.
The volume of an object, light and shadow, the texture of materials - all of this is depicted in such a way as to appear even more clear and detailed, even exaggerated in comparison with the original. However, at the same time, the paintings do not go into surrealism - the image in hyperrealism must remain convincing, the real reality is simply replaced by a false, illusory one.
The best hyperrealist artists of the 21st century
The hyperrealism style has become very popular today, and the army of its followers is growing every year: thanks to the Internet, you can see thousands of hyperrealistic works in both graphics and painting. It is impossible to name all the names, so below we present to you the paintings of just a few artists, who, nevertheless, are among the most remarkable authors of the 21st century representing hyperrealism in painting.
Jason de Graaf
When you see Jason de Graaf's work for the first time, you will have a hard time believing that this is painting. His hyper-realistic worlds are carefully crafted illusions created with delicate brushstrokes to give the impression of real-life, high-definition photographs. De Graaf paints in the genre of still life.
A key element of much of this artist's hyperrealism paintings is reflection: from sparkling metal balls to polished crystal skulls, the artist takes every opportunity to truly depict the volume of objects and make them "alive" through the accurate rendering of shadow and light.
His goal is not to capture objects as they are one hundred percent, but to create some illusion of depth and a sense of presence that cannot be found in photographs. Therefore, de Graaf uses objects for his paintings that mean something to him or are actually artifacts from his life, and chooses colors and compositions intuitively.
Marco Grassi
Another author in the style of hyperrealism, whose works amaze with their realism and make many take a closer look at them again, is an Italian artist from Milan named Marco Grassi. His paintings are so detailed that they truly have the quality of photographs.
Grassi's works are sensual portraits of models looking shyly away from the camera. They often add some kind of surreal element that seems to be woven into the portrait - for example, this could be a pattern that is drawn or carved into the model's skin. By the way, the skin of the girls in the portraits is a separate reason to see these works; it seems ideal and velvety, and after looking closely, the viewer will be able to see every freckle or pore on their faces.
Grassi calls his painting style “surreal hyperrealism.”
He says he is inspired by different textures, the consistency of materials, how they interact with light and how light is reflected in them - which is what the artist tries to convey in his paintings.
Rod Chase
As one of the finest and most recognizable hyperrealist artists of our time, Rod Chase has earned the enormous respect of his peers and the adoration of countless collectors.
Each painting taken from his easel is a masterpiece, created through careful research of the subject of painting and its numerous photographs. This approach to painting has led to the incredible quality of each of Chase's works.
The artist painted many paintings in the style of hyperrealism with landscapes and famous places in the cities of New York and Washington, Colorado and California, European countries such as Italy, Great Britain, and others. In search of interesting locations and photographs, he personally traveled to all these places. Chase says that as a hyperrealist, he relies heavily on finding good material for each painting.
Chase's paintings are primarily done in acrylic on canvas. The artist spends hundreds of hours creating each work with the goal of presenting a fresh, elegant and unique approach to familiar subjects. Both the detail and mood of his paintings are equally impressive.
Emanuel Dascanio is one of the best contemporary artists, a true master of the hyperrealism style, whose works amaze with their sensuality and realism. In addition to his remarkable technique, Dascanio hides additional meanings in his works with the help of subtle visual details that help the artist create the illusion of the real world. The author himself states: a mystery only becomes such if it opens to the viewer’s eyes slowly.
You can look at the works of Emanuel Dascanio in the hyperrealism style in the following video:
What is valuable to you in the film? Her style? What is shown on it? Or how accurately the artist was able to convey the space around him?
A difficult question, you will answer, because each genre is good in its own way, and this is true. But you must admit that nothing is more fascinating than an image that replicates reality down to the smallest point. Especially if this image is made by human hands, and especially if it is of incredible scale.
In the 60s of the last century, a group of American artists came to the same conclusion. Having become successors of the pop art genre, they created a new direction in art. Its goal is to make the image as realistic as possible. Tools - a camera for collecting information, patience and talent as an artist.
The history of photorealism in painting
It's 1968, Louis Meisel invents a term for a new movement in art, and two years later this term is used in the Whitney Museum catalog for the exhibition "Twenty-Two Realists."
If we briefly recall the history of fine art, we can see how traditional portraits and landscapes by the 20th century were replaced by vague abstraction and lost in bizarre futuristic ideas. Photorealism entered into an antagonistic struggle with them.
Unlike Pop Art, which attempted to satirize commercial images, Photorealist paintings sought to restore the viewer's love for the painted image rather than its photograph. And although at first photorealism in painting was met with criticism, and artists were accused of using grids, carbon papers and other mechanical means to help transfer photographs to canvas, the style quickly gained the love of art connoisseurs.
Today, photorealism has grown into several separate techniques, united by one idea. Often, they are used as synonyms, but still differ from each other. Among them:
- hyperrealism;
- superrealism;
- verism.
What do photorealism artists write about in their paintings?
The Americans were the first to start working in photorealism. The most popular among them were Richard Estes and Ralph Goings. Independently of each other, they carried out unidirectional development in this style, using the traditional genres of portraiture, still life and landscape (usually urban).
The favorite themes of the paintings were shop windows, cars, metro stations, high-rise buildings, streets with passers-by - that is, everything where there was a lot of glass, plastic, and polishing. The play of light and shadow, reflections on surfaces especially made it possible to enliven the image.
Photorealism also manifested itself significantly in portraits. Facial wrinkles, sparkles in the eyes, emotions, a slight smile or tears, drops of sweat, eyelashes, makeup - the emphasis on such details makes the picture seem to breathe, to live.
By the 2000s, the style had not lost its relevance, although many artists left it and continued to develop in other directions. By now, not only Americans, but also Europeans are working in the valiant ranks of photorealism.
How do they do it?
...The main question when you look at the paintings of photorealists. Is this the result of painstaking work or was it still possible without the help of technology? Let's try to figure it out.
The genre of photorealism itself is unthinkable without photography. The movement and change of an object must be frozen in time so that the artist can convey it with extreme accuracy.
Having collected all the necessary information through the camera, the painter carefully studies every detail of the photo, develops it using photographic slides, and gradually transfers the slides to the canvas using a projection or grid.
The result is an ultra-precise copy of the photograph, but often enlarged in size. This implies rigidity and accuracy of the image, the need for attention to detail. Technical skill and talent of the artist are required.
Why do we need portraits if we have selfies?
But why create such pictures at all if you have a photo? As one of the photorealists said, it attracts. When looking at photographs in galleries, few people stop to take a closer look at them. To surprise someone with a photo image you need something more.
But if a person understands that the image in front of him was made using paint and a brush (or other artistic means), his attention will sharpen. Delight and surprise will be read in his eyes. You want to approach such a picture, touch it, find that stroke, that detail that will prove - yes, this is not a photograph.
These artists amaze with their talent and the way they create their hyper-realistic paintings. It's hard to believe, but these are not photos, but real paintings drawn with pencil, paints and even ballpoint pens. We don't understand how they do it?! Just enjoy their creativity.
Omar Oritz- hyperrealist artist from Mexico, Bachelor of Graphic Design. The main subject of his paintings are human figures, mostly naked women. In the painting, the artist highlights three elements: the human figure, draped fabrics, and white color. The peculiarity of Omar’s works is a minimalist style, laconicism in conveying the subtle curves and lines of the body, and oil work.
Paul Cadden is a world-class contemporary artist from Scotland. For his works, Paul uses only white chalk and graphite, with which he can recreate almost any photograph, paying attention to imperceptible small details. As the artist himself admits, he does not invent new details, but only emphasizes them, thereby creating the illusion of a new reality, which is often not visible in the original photographs.
Kamalky Laureano- artist born in the Dominican Republic in 1983, currently lives and works in Mexico City. Kamalki graduated from the School of Design and Art and specializes in creating hyper-realistic portraits. The subjects are difficult to distinguish from real photographs, although they are painted with acrylic paints on canvas. For the author, his work is not just an imitation of photographs, but a whole life embodied on canvas.
Gregory Thielker- Born in New Jersey in 1979, he studied art history and painting at the University of Washington. Moving to Boston became the starting point for his work on the hyper-realistic cityscapes that made him famous throughout the world. Tilker's paintings are like traveling by car on a cold rainy day. Inspired by the works of artists of the 70s, the author creates his realistic paintings using watercolors and oil paints.
Lee Price is an artist from New York, graduated from the university with a degree in painting, and specializes in figurative painting. The main theme of Lee's works is the complex relationship of women to food. It’s as if the viewer is watching from the outside the women who secretly eat something tasty, but harmful. The artist herself says that in her works she tries to show the fact that women endow food with qualities that are not inherent to it, and seek solace in an inappropriate source. The paintings convey the absurdity of the situation, an attempt to escape from reality, to alleviate unpleasant sensations.
Ben Weiner born November 10, 1980 in Burlington, Vermont, graduated from the University of Art, paints in oils on canvas. The peculiarity of the artist’s works is an unusual plot. Ben paints! First, the artist applies paints to the work surface, photographs them, and then paints a picture on canvas from the finished photo.
Born in 1950 in Northern California, he is known for his realistic acrylic paintings on canvas. As a child, the author shared his love of drawing with his success in sports, but a back injury determined Ray’s main occupation. As the artist admitted, drawing distracted him from constant back pain. Even in his youth, the master received wide recognition and many awards at art competitions.
Alyssa Monks lives and creates her paintings in Brooklyn, has become widely known for her realistic “wet” paintings. The artist uses filters such as water, glass or steam to create abstract designs. For her work, Alyssa often uses photographs from the personal archives of family and friends. The women's faces and figures in the paintings are similar to each other - the artist often paints self-portraits, as she claims that it is “easier” for her to create the necessary plot.
Pedro Campos- hyperrealist from Madrid, began painting in oils only at the age of 30. The artist creates his realistic still lifes using oil paint. Campos has worked as an interior designer, illustrator, and art restorer of furniture, sculptures and paintings. The artist believes that it was his work as a restorer that helped him hone his skills.
Dirk Dzimirsky- artist from Germany, born in 1969, received an art education, works in pencil technique. The artist draws pictures from photographs, without going into the smallest details, and improvises a lot. Dirk says that when working on a painting, he imagines a living model, so he uses photos only to thoroughly convey predetermined proportions. The author considers his main task to be to create a feeling of the subject’s presence in the picture.
Thomas Arvid is an American hyperrealist artist from New Orleans, who was born and raised in Detroit, has no formal training, and is a master of the so-called “oversized” still life. His series of realistic paintings “Wine Cellar” are corks, bottles, glasses with sparkling or deep red drinks. Reputable critics and publications noted more than 70 works of the artist. The master’s paintings adorn not only the walls of wineries and prestigious wine salons, but also private collections and galleries.
Robin Eley born in Britain, raised and continues to live and work in Australia, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and has been awarded the Doug Moran National Portrait Award. He creates his hyper-realistic paintings in oils, and considers the subject “people and cellophane” to be his main “horse.” The master works on one painting for about 5 weeks, 90 hours a week, almost every painting depicts people wrapped in cellophane.
Samuel Silva is a Portuguese amateur artist without special education, who proves by personal example that you can create a masterpiece from anything. When creating paintings, the artist uses a palette of eight colors of ballpoint pens from Bic. Silva is a lawyer by profession, and considers his passion for drawing to be nothing more than a hobby. Today, the world-famous self-taught artist is mastering new painting techniques using paints, chalk, colored pencils, pastels, etc.
Gottfried Helnwein- Austrian artist, author of hyperrealistic paintings on social, political and historical themes, “a master of unexpected recognition,” as the writer W. Burroughs called him. The author was educated at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and is an artist of a high professional level. His fame was brought to some extent by controversial subjects and surreal compositions. The master often depicted comic book characters in his paintings and admits that he “learned more from Donald Duck than in all the schools he attended.”
Franco Clun is an Italian self-taught artist who prefers graphite drawing to all other artistic techniques. His black-and-white realistic paintings are the result of Franco’s independent study of various literature on painting techniques.
Kelvin Okafor- hyperrealist artist, born in 1985, lives and works in London. Kelvin received a degree in fine art from Middlesex University. The author creates his paintings with a simple pencil; the main theme of his work is portraits of celebrities.
Amy Robins is a British artist who uses colored pencils and construction paper for her hyper-realistic works. The artist has an art and design background and a BA Fine Art degree and lives and works in Bristol. Little is known about the young author, but her works have already become famous throughout the world, striking with their realism and execution technique.
Robert Longo- American artist and sculptor, born in Brooklyn in 1953, awarded the legendary Goslar Kaiser Ring award. The artist draws his three-dimensional images of nuclear explosions, tornadoes, hurricanes and sharks with charcoal on paper. Longo is often called the "painter of death." The famous painting Untitled (Skull Island) depicting a wave was sold at Christie’s auction in London for $392 thousand.
Diego Fazio- a self-taught artist, born in 1989 in Italy, has no art education, began by developing sketches for tattoos, and over time developed his own drawing technique. The young artist took part in many international competitions, where he won prizes and was represented at exhibitions around the world. The artist works under the pseudonym DiegoKoi.
Bryan Drury born in 1980 in Salt Lake City, has a diploma from the New York Academy of Arts, creates paintings in the genre of realism. The artist paints his paintings using oil paints. As the author admits, in his works he tries to focus on the organic qualities of the skin and its shortcomings.
Steve Mills is an American artist who sold his first painting at the age of 11. The artist creates his paintings with oil paints, focusing on the smallest details of everyday life, which we often do not notice in our eternal rush. The artist notes that he depicts objects as they are in real life, without changing or exaggerating their original form.
Paul Lung born in Hong Kong, draws with an automatic pencil on A2 sheets. The peculiarity of the technique of creating paintings is the fundamental refusal to use an eraser; all works are drawn completely. The artist’s main “muses” are cats, although he also paints people and other animals. Each work takes the author at least 40 hours.
Roberto Bernardi born in Italy, became interested in hyperrealism at the age of 19, worked as a restorer in the Church of San Francesco. To create paintings she uses oil paints. A series of works depicting objects characteristic of a consumer society brought the artist worldwide fame. Paintings with sweets, vending machines, refrigerator shelves are the artist’s calling card, although his arsenal includes landscapes, still lifes and much more.
Juan Francisco Casas is a Spanish artist who creates his paintings with a regular Bic ballpoint pen. Casas was a traditional artist who decided to prove to others that it is not the material for work that is important, but the method and technique of painting. The very first exhibition of the creative Spaniard brought him worldwide fame. Most of Casas's paintings depict his friends.
Teresa Elliott is an American artist who, before creating realistic oil paintings, successfully worked as an illustrator for 26 years. Teresa has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, returned to classical art, and became famous throughout the world for her portraits, truthful to the smallest detail.
