Photorealistic paintings. How paintings are created in the style of hyperrealism

Hyperrealism is a popular trend in painting, which is promoted by many modern artists. Paintings created using this technique are sometimes difficult to distinguish from high-quality photographs. Hyperrealism amazes with its plausibility and amazing accuracy of object reproduction. Looking at the canvases of artists working in this direction, one gets the feeling that we are looking at a tangible object, and not a drawing on paper. Craftsmen achieve such high precision by painstakingly detailed work on every stroke.

Patrick Kramer "Still Tide"

As an art movement, hyperrealism emerged in the early 2000s from the photorealism of the 70s. Unlike its progenitor, hyperrealism does not seek to simply copy photographic images, but creates its own reality, full of emotional experiences and storylines.

Natalie Vogel "Ocean of Hair"

In hyperrealism, the artist focuses his attention on the smallest details, but at the same time uses additional visual elements, trying to create the illusion of reality, which in reality may not exist. In addition, paintings can contain emotional, social, cultural or political overtones, thereby conveying to the audience not only the technical skills of the author, but also his philosophical vision of reality.

Sharyl Luxenburg "Life on the Street"

Subjects that interest hyperrealists range from portraits, landscapes and still lifes to social and narrative scenes. Some artists act as real exposers of modern social problems, highlighting in their works many pressing issues of the world order. Thanks to the masterful play of light and shadow and the highest degree of visualization, hyperrealistic paintings create the illusion of presence and involvement, capable of making a lasting impression on viewers.

Harriet White "White Lily"

Hyperrealism requires a high level of skill and virtuosity of the painter. To reliably imitate reality, various methods and techniques are used: glazing, airbrushing, overhead projection, etc.

Damien Loeb "Atmosphere"

Today, many famous artists, whose paintings are known all over the world, are working in this direction. Let's get to know them better.

Jason de Graaf.
Canadian artist Jason de Graaf is a real magician who manages to literally bring objects in his paintings to life. The master himself describes his work this way: “My goal is not to reproduce what I see one hundred percent, but to create the illusion of depth and a sense of presence, which is sometimes missing in photography. I try to use objects as a means to express myself, tell a story, and give the viewer a hint of something more than what they see in the painting. So I try to choose topics that have special connotations for me.”

"Salt"

"Vanity Fair"

"Ether"

Denis Peterson.
Armenian-American Denis Peterson's work can be found in prestigious museums such as the Tate Modern, the Brooklyn Museum and the Whitney Museum. In his paintings, the artist often addresses problems of social inequality and moral issues. The combination of the themes of Peterson's works and his high technical skill give the paintings of this author a timeless symbolic meaning, for which they are valued by critics and specialists.

"Ashes to Ashes"

"Halfway to the Stars"

"Don't shed a tear"

Gottfried Helnwein.
Gottfried Helnwein is an Irish artist who has studied at the classical Vienna Academy of Arts and many experiments in the field of modern painting. The master became famous for his paintings in the style of hyperrealism, touching on the political and moral aspects of society. Provocative and sometimes shocking, Helnwein's works often cause controversy and mixed reactions from the public.

"Purring Babies"

"Disasters of War"

"Turkish family"

Suzanna Stojanovic.
Serbian artist Suzanna Stojanovic is an experienced artist who has participated in many major exhibitions in Italy, Switzerland and the USA. Stojanovic's favorite topic is horses. Her series of works, “The Magical World of Horses,” have received numerous awards and public recognition.

"Hope"

"Mirror"

"In the clouds"

Andrew Talbot.
Bright and atmospheric paintings by British artist Andrew Talbot invariably bring a smile to the faces of viewers. This year Andrew was included in the list of fifteen best hyperrealists in the world.

"Elegant trio"

"Twins"

"Pears"

Roberto Bernardi.
Italian artist Roberto Bernardi creates realistic still lifes. The master actively participates in exhibitions and closely collaborates with specialized magazines. In 2010, the largest Italian multinational oil and gas company included Bernardi in a group of young talents from around the world who had the honor of creating canvases for a prestigious art collection of contemporary painting.

"Dreams"

"Vending machine with sweets"

"Ship of Desires"

Eric Zener.
Self-taught Eric Zener is a member of the Union of Artists of the United States and a generally recognized master of hyperrealism. Over the years of his activity, he created over 600 paintings, striking in their accuracy and scrupulous detail. One of the central themes of the master’s work is scuba diving.

"Gentle Transformation"

"Blissful Descent"

"Return"

Yigal Lake.
Yigal Ozere was born in Israel, but lives and works in the United States. Ozere is the author of amazing portraits, full of spiritual beauty and expressive realism.

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Linnea Strid.
Swedish artist Linnea Strid is a true master of accurately conveying emotions. All her works are filled with acute experiences and deep feelings of the characters.

"You're being watched"

"Cornered"

"The Light of My Life"

Philip Muñoz.
Philip Muñoz is a self-taught Jamaican artist who moved to the UK in 2006. Philip portrays the inhabitants of the metropolis, immersed in the dynamic and vibrant life of the city.

Untitled

"Alexandra"

Untitled

Olga Larionova.
Our compatriot Olga Larionova lives in Nizhny Novgorod. Olga draws pencil portraits using hyperrealistic techniques with the highest professionalism. The artist creates her works in her free time from her main job - Larionova is engaged in interior design.

"Portrait of an Elderly Man"

"Rihanna"

"Portrait of a Girl"

Let's say you are a big fan of oil paintings and like to collect them. For example, if you want to have an oil seascape in your collection, you can purchase it on the website http://artworld.ru. Come in and choose.

My job is to create stories through images. My camera and Photoshop are my biggest allies

I like the hard surface of the panels and use several thin layers of paint to create my hyper-realistic paintings

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.

Hyperrealism in Painting.

Classical Painting introduces us mainly to a plot in which the main thing is volume and color. This is how most Artists write - all their thoughts, feelings and emotions are conveyed in color and volume. But there are artists who try to get to the microscopic nuances and outdo the camera. These are artists of hyperrealism. And I would like to talk only about “pure” artists, those who combine painting and various technologies, we will not consider today...

Most people perceive hyperrealism as a simple photorealistic image created with paint, pencil, pen or other means. But everything is not so simple...

The emergence of the Hyperrealism movement

Hyperrealism has emerged as a separate movement in art since 1973 after an exhibition in Brussels, when this word was coined to replace the French “photorealism”. Jean Baudrillard characterized the philosophy of the hyperrealist movement as follows: “this is the creation of the non-existent through the accurate representation of real objects.”

A lot of time has passed since 1973, and the very definition of “Hyperrealism” has changed - today there are already trends within it, and one of them is just a simple accurate reproduction of reality without an admixture of creative distortions.

Objects and objects of the image

The uniqueness of the direction lies in the fact that the picture can depict the most ordinary and unremarkable episode, something that surrounds us every day. True skill is manifested precisely in the fact that the viewer cannot distinguish reality from the written work.

Artists often chose as a theme the depiction of the everyday life of a big city: intersections, boulevards, residential buildings, ordinary passers-by.

Particular attention was paid to the presence of light-reflecting surfaces: shop windows, glasses on the face, car windshields, plastic, polished planes. The play of glare, the natural reflection of rays creates the effect of complete interpenetration of the space of the picture and the real world.

The main task for hyperrealists was to depict the world not just believably, but hyper-realistically, as if by tearing out a fragment of what the viewer saw and placing it on the wall.

Features of the hyperrealism technique

How to draw hyperrealism in painting? Artists working in this direction use new, very unusual and innovative methods of painting. They actively use mechanical methods of copying photographs, enlarging the images to the size of a large canvas. Slide projection and a scale grid helped them with this.

The technique of applying paint can be different: some artists paint their paintings using charcoal and a simple pencil. This operating principle is similar to an image printed by an inkjet printer. Another method of applying paint is to spray it with an airbrush. This allows you to preserve the specificity of the photograph and exclude the slightest hint of the artist’s creative individuality.

In the works of hyperrealist artists you can find many naked bodies. Men, women - it doesn’t matter, but each canvas conveys, first of all, not vulgarity, not eroticism, but the naked human essence.

All defense mechanisms and masks under which people hide themselves have been discarded. Hyperrealism in nude painting is a separate method of depicting the theme of man and his relationship with the world.

Hyperrealism in painting and the artists who represent this direction are a separate topic.

The skill of each of them is constantly being compared; connoisseurs look for similarities and differences in motifs, images, and techniques. Some works cannot be distinguished from photographs, but there are paintings where the features of the artist’s individual technique are still discernible in a realistic image.

So, hyperrealist artists, who are they and why do they need it?

Why try to convey things that we may not even perceive in the process of observing things and phenomena? After all, we are talking about reality, not photography...

And here there are practically no limits for the artist... If there is a desire to get to the bottom of the molecular details - everything is in the hands of the artist - the main thing is to study the technique and learn how to masterfully apply it...

So, how does classical painting differ from the process of creating hyperrealism?

In classical painting, the artist shows the dynamics of objects on a motionless canvas, as if the painting froze for a moment and will soon continue its movement….

Hyperrealists want to capture this stillness forever, as is possible in photography.

It happens that the immobility turns out to be too hypertrophied (exaggerated). This method of creating a picture is reminiscent of long exposure photography. The viewer clearly has the feeling of playing not only with space, but also with time. Such paintings do not stop time, but make it slower and more fluid.

And paintings in the style of hyperrealism allow you to look through a microscope and see many invisible things - this is surprisingly unusual and fascinating...

Works in the style of hyperrealism must be more than a copy of reality, they must convey a hyper-reality...

Why does an artist need this?

For many, hyperrealism is a special form of self-expression. For some it is an opportunity to hone their skills and achieve maximum effect with paints and brushes, but for others it is a way of meditation, relaxation and amazing pleasure from this meticulous detailed work on objects and objects.

Would you like to try yourself as a Realist Artist? Share your impressions and thoughts on this matter...

We are waiting for your comments... And your work - if you have already tried yourself in this technique...

And if you want to try yourself as a realist artist, then start right now -

Surely everyone has at least once seen pictures in their news feed that are very similar to photographs. At first glance, it is quite difficult to understand whether such work was done using modern digital technology or created with a brush and paints. As a rule, these are drawings by artists who have chosen the style of hyperrealism. The paintings look very much like photographs, but at the same time they often convey something more.

What is hyperrealism

This style appeared relatively recently and has already won many fans and faced the hatred of those who do not understand the point of copying reality. Few artistic styles in painting are as controversial as hyperrealism.

The world saw the first such works in the 70s of the 20th century. The amazingly accurate copying of reality amazed minds so much that the style quickly became very popular. Nowadays, endless disputes between fans and opponents attract even more attention to him.

The subject of a clash of opinions, as a rule, becomes one question: why draw something that can be photographed. The essence of hyperrealism is that it draws the viewer’s close attention to the most ordinary things. This happens due to multiple increases in scale, the abandonment of complex backgrounds and amazing image clarity. The artist, who has chosen the style of hyperrealism, does not impose his opinion on the viewer - all his works are simple and surprisingly realistic.

What do hyperrealists paint?

The object of creativity of an artist working in the style of hyperrealism can be almost any object that catches his eye. Fruits, plastic bags, glass, metal, water - anything can be embodied in the next picture. As a rule, hyperrealists show the viewer the selected object as if under a microscope, increasing its size several times and allowing the person to plunge into a completely different world.

Often the artist tries to draw the viewer's attention to a certain detail, making it more contrasting and smoothly dissolving everything else. At first glance, you may not even understand that attention is focused precisely on this part of the picture only because the artist wanted it that way. This is the subtle psychology of hyperrealists, which allows them to manipulate emotions. But not all artists use this technique - some prefer to create works that completely copy reality.

Hyperrealistic portraits

But among many works, fans of the style pay special attention to portraits. Drawing a lemon falling into a glass of water is difficult, but conveying a person’s emotions, mood and character is even more difficult. Many modern artists complicate their work by pouring paint, water or oil over the model to make the painting more original.

But in general, hyperrealists do not limit themselves in choosing a topic for painting. Like many other artistic styles in painting, this type of art can present almost anything to the viewer.

What do they draw with?

The materials hyperrealists work with can be completely different. Works done in oil or acrylic are very popular. The richness of the colors allows the artist to create contrasting, bright and truly attractive paintings.

But there are other materials that real talents use to create works in the style of hyperrealism. For example, portraits are most often used with pencil. It allows you to clearly draw wrinkles on the face, the smallest elements of hair, and so on. Hyperrealist artists create incredibly sunny and bright portraits.

Watercolor is more suitable for painting landscapes in the style of hyperrealism. The paintings turn out light and airy - translucent paint allows you to better convey space. Despite the fact that artists often paint forests, lakes and wild rivers, they rarely leave home to create. Almost all paintings are copied by hyperrealists from photographs, which they often take themselves.

Famous artists

Many have seen paintings by artists painting in this style, but few have heard their names. One of the most famous hyperrealists is Will Cotton. His “sweet” paintings cannot fail to attract attention. As a rule, they depict girls on clouds that resemble various desserts - cakes, cookies, etc.

It is impossible not to note the landscapes of Rafaella Spence, made in the style of hyperrealism. The paintings of this artist amaze with their liveliness, which makes them almost indistinguishable from photographs.

Having created many works in the style of abstract art, he is one of the most famous hyperrealists. The people and objects in his paintings look a little blurry, as if the light is passing directly through them. Thanks to this unusual effect, Richter's paintings can be easily recognized among many others.

It is worth paying tribute to the artists who paint in the style of hyperrealism. The paintings they created are examples of the highest skill.