Photorealism emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s as a movement in which artists used photographs as their primary source material to create paintings that appeared as realistic as possible. Unlike traditional realism, which sought to depict the world as the eye sees it, Photorealism focused on reproducing the specific qualities of a photographic image, including its depth of field, reflections, and mechanical precision. Artists like Chuck Close and Richard Estes achieved astonishing levels of detail, often working on a large scale to emphasize the technical virtuosity required to mimic the camera’s lens. The movement was a response to the dominance of abstraction and the increasing ubiquity of photographic imagery in modern life.
By meticulously translating a mechanical image into a hand-painted one, Photorealism invited viewers to reconsider the relationship between technology, perception, and reality. It remains a popular and technically demanding genre that continues to push the boundaries of representational art.