INTRODUCING: PHOTOREALISM

BY: LESLIE AND FANG

History:

• Began in the late 1960s

• Term coined by Louis K. Meisel in 1969

• It is also sometimes labeled as Super-Realism,

New Realism, Sharp Focus Realism, or Hyper-

Realism.

• Evolved from Pop Art and was a counter to Abstract Expressionism and Minimalisism

• “Photorealism “came out of Pop yet had the

affectlessness of Minimalism and, at the

same time, capitalized on the public's

fondness for exact replication.”

• Reaction to the ever increasing

photographic media, which was threatening

to lessen the value of imagery in art.

• Tried to reclaim the value of an image.

• Photorealism was international, but mainly

practiced in the U.S.

• The use of a camera and photographs is an acceptance of

Modernism

• Invention of camera:

1.       Caused scenic and portrait artists to quit and

move to photography because their work was claimed to be

inadequate to the real thing.

2.       In the 19th and 20th century, artist used

photographs as an aid in their painting but would deny

it in fear that their work to be called imitations.

3.       Offered up a lot of experimentation.

• Photography was a break in history and allowed artist to

replicate something that they witnessed. (Cave Man

Drawings)

MEISEL’S 5 POINT DEFINITION FOR ORIGINATORS

• Use of camera and photograph to gather “info”• Use of mechanical or semi-mechanical means to

transfer “info”• Artist must have technical ability to make the

piece seem photo realistic• Work must be exhibited by 1972 to be considered

a Central Photo Realist• Artist must have devoted at least 5 years towards

photorealistic work

The difference between Photorealism and Pop Art:

Photorealism • Tries to reclaim and exalt the value of an image. • sustains the fact that reproducing paintings from photograph

is not mere imitation.Pop Art:• usually for commercial usage • mainly pointing out the absurdity of much of the imagery.• Focusing on humor or leisure purposes.

STYLES AND IDEAS

• All styles revolve around the photograph• Artists try to represent a frozen moment in time • The photographs slide must be transferred to the

canvas, 2 primary methods to do so

Technical method• The use of machines or projectors to slide the

image onto the canvas

METHODS-GRID

Richard Estes (1932-1990)

• Used color photographs

• The paintings generally consist of

reflective, clean, and inanimate

city and geometric landscapes.

• Didn't included litter or snow

around the buildings, because he

thought they would draw attention

away from the buildings.

• Settings were always in the

daytime, never the nighttime

• Avoided using famous cityscapes

• strive to create a three-dimensional feel

• early 1960s are of city dwellers engaged in everyday

activities

• Beginning around 1967, he began to paint storefronts

and buildings with glass windows and their reflections.

Ansonia, 1977.

Oenophilia, 1983

tkts Line, 2005

Charles Bell (1935 – 1995)

• Subject matter was mainly

of vintage toys, gumball

machines, and dolls and

action figures.

• He created work in a scale

as much as ten times life

size, with clear and vibrant

colors.

• Brings out majesty and

wonder to the mundane.

Sugar Daddy, 1975

One to Four can Play, 1995

Marbles VIII, 1982

CHUCK CLOSE• Born in Monro, Washington 1940• Bachelor’s in art from University of Washington• Major in art from Yale• Focuses on portraits of friends and family• Master of the Grid method• 1988 spinal infection left him quadriplegic• Had to relearn how to use his hands to continue his

work• Work featured at multiple museums including National

Gallery of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Tate gallery and more.

• Paints faces because “He has a difficulty recognizing faces”

• Later works features a concept of pointillism mixed in• Later work branched into non-rectangular grids and

topographic styles of regions with similar color

The Big Self Portrait1969 acrylic on canvas

"The thing I like about a photograph is that it represents a frozen, poem like moment in time."--Chuck Close

Frank 1969

Emma 2002 (Chuck’s niece)

Lucas, 1986

Lucas 2, 1987

Ralph Goings 1928

• best known for his paintings

of hamburger stands, pick-up

trucks, and California banks

• reveal the visual beauty and

fascination of the pictorial

subject• It's a democratic triumph: all things become equal in both their power and vacuity.

• visually engaging because of

the variety of texture,

light play and reflections

Dick’s Union General, 1971

Miss Albany Diner, 1993

Double Ketchup, 2006

Donut, 2006

DUANE HANSON• Born January 17th, 1925 in Alexandria Minnesota

• Master of Fine Arts degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art after a period of teaching high school art

• 1987 honored with Duane Hanson Day, a proclamation in Broward County.

• Introduced into Florida Artists Hall of fame in 1992

• Social Observer

STYLE-HANSON

• Heavily influenced by the Pop Art sculptor George Segal

• Known for life-like sculptures made from variable materials such as polyester resin, fiberglass, bondo, and bronze

• Original pieces depicted brutally violent subjects• First pieces cast in fiberglass and vinyl• Clothed sculptors appropriately and posed them

for action shots• Used real life models and adjusted as needed• Predominately middle or lower class, blue collar

Motorcycle accident 1967

Race Riothttp://www.wineandbowties.com/art/sculptures-by-duane-hanson/

Tourists 1988 (fiberglass)

Traveller 1988

MODERN PHOTOREALISM

• Movement continues and includes some of the originators

• New photo realists build upon the foundations of the originators

• Many newer artists have strayed from original strict definition

• New tech allows artists to be able to be far more precision oriented

OVERVIEW

• Movement began in late 1960s early 1970s• Not possible without the invention of the

photograph• Photorealism is about catching a frozen moment

in time• Photorealism is not about the photo, but rather

the skill behind duplicating the image or how they adjust the image.