for students

1. PHOTOREALISM

2. o What is Photorealism?
◦ Photorealism (also known as Hyperrealism or Superrealism)
refers to visual art that is based on a photograph, where the
subject of that photograph is reproduced in painstaking
detail through painting, sculpture, or other media.

3. o Notable Photorealist Artwork

4. Chuck Close,
Stanley II, 1980-
81, Solomon R.
Guggenheim
Museum, New
York.

5. Ralph Goings,
Sherwin
Williams
Chevy, 1975,
Museum of
Modern Art,
New York.

6. Charles Bell,
Gum Ball No.
10: “Sugar
Daddy,” 1975,
Solomon R.
Guggenheim
Museum, New
York.

7. Ralph Goings,
Sherwin
Williams
Chevy, 1975,
Museum of
Modern Art,
New York.

8. o The Five Principles of Photorealism
The Photo-Realist uses the camera and photograph to gather
information.
The Photo-Realist uses a mechanical or semi-mechanical means to
transfer the information to the canvas.
The Photo-Realist must have the technical ability to make the finished
work appear photographic.
The artist must have exhibited work as a Photo-Realist by 1972 to be
considered one of the central Photo-Realists.
The artist must have devoted at least 5 years to the development and
exhibition of Photo-Realist work.

9. o The Used of Photography in
Photorealist Art
Artists have used the camera as a tool in visual art since the
advent of photography in the early 1800s. In fact, the early image-
making technique afforded by the camera obscura and camera
lucida was common in the 1600s among the Old Master painters
such as Rembrandt and Vermeer.
As precursors to modern cameras, the camera obscura and
camera lucida projected an image onto an interior panel. The
image was then traced and painted, becoming many of the
masterpieces we know today.

10. o Photorealistic Sculpture
◦ Photorealism is typically associated with painting but
sculptors such as Duane Hanson demonstrate a branch of
Photorealist art called Verism. Hanson’s sculptures are often
lifelike reproductions of average people. Janitor, from 1973, is
a painted sculpture of a janitor that includes real hair and
clothes.

11. o Photorealism Today
The original Photorealist artists developed techniques that not
only troubled the definition of art but remain vital to
contemporary art. The seemingly limitless capabilities of digital
technology allows artists to use photography and other digital
imaging tools to explore the line between reality and artificiality in
a whole new way.
Today’s photorealistic art echoes society’s ever-evolving
fascinations and flaws, such as the Internet, social media, and the
adverse effects of capitalism. It also celebrates marginalized voices
and even blends with the surreal.