Photo-realism was and still is known as a popular artistic movement, which started in the 1960's. Artists who were fond of this movement created scenes which were painted in a style closely related to photographs as well as reproducing them in great detail (xrefer).

Although mostly popularized in the United States, photo-realism became popular in Europe before making its way over seas. However, in Europe, photo-realism was known as super-realism. Though super-realism is slightly different than photo-realism due to the effect of painting it as an illusion, it was widely categorized as a photo-realistic movement (Delahunt).

Photo-realistic or super-realistic paintings did not develop "out of thin air" the way it seems other art styles did. Instead, it derived from another popular artistic movement during that time known as pop- art.

Malcolm Morley, once a pop-artist, "converted" to super-realism art and actually coined the word. He was also one of the first artists to sucessfully accomplish one of these paintings and take it up as a career (Sandler 212).

It wasn't until 1968 when photo-realism received recognition by museums. It all started when an exhibition titled "Realism Now" was mounted at the Vassar College Art Museum. In 1970, 22 realists were exhibited by the Whitney Museum which finally gave the movement major museum recognition (Lindey 7).

According to Sandler (60),

Photo-realism did not appear to take its inspiration from the artists psyche, life experiences, or private visions. It rejected the common elements artists used to paint, such as feelings and emotions, or to indicate the graphics of their mind and soul.

By simply observing the various artworks by Chuck Close and Richard Estes, it is fairly easy to come up with the following conclusions:

• Close, one of the leading members of the photo-realist movement, specializes in enormous portraits of neutral faces.
• Estes, another leading member of the photo-realist movement, specializes in street scenes with elaborate reflections in window-glass.

McVeigh writes:

Why paint something that looks like a photograph? You already have the image in hand. Why must it be reproduced, or more specifically, translated to paint? What is achieved by going through a strict process which includes painstaking hours of exactness and focus? What is gained? What is lost?

All of these are valid questions about the opinions given towards photo-realism. There have been disputes over which was better at perception - the camera or the human eye?

New Perceptual Realists thought that the camera was merely a machine which took crude photographs of things. The eye, on the other hand, is an organ which can perceive the most extraordinary details and let the mind wander freely through the feelings, which are held in these visions. However, according to the photo-realists, "photographs were static" (Sandler 213).

Therefore the point of reproducing photographs is to let the mind do the job of perceiving the picture, making it three-dimensional and realistic. The point of creating a photo-realistic painting is to inspire a relationship betweeen both the artist and the painting, and the viewer and the painting (Wilmerding 228).

Malcolm Morley was born in London, 1931. He uses photographic images as the basis of his painting. Most of his artworks represent his experiences while traveling on ships to America, showing the landscapes, wildlife, and other things he observed (Lucie-Smith 541).

According to Brown (552), Morley actually painted his works upside down to concentrate on the elements of the painted surface instead of the image importance.

Close started working from black and white photographs, such as Richard (above) or his Self Portrait, using only two tablespoons of black pigment per painting. In 1971, Close gradually moved on to creating paintings of color photographs, like Linda (below). Close's subjects of works were anonymous, everyday people because he refused to paint the famous (Wilmerding 228).

Close used two techniqies for his works. When he started out, he used a grid on his canvas. Eventually, he moved on to using a technique known as the color layer process. This was a step-by-step process in which Close used one color at a time while painting. In order to create a different color, he would have to add another color on top of the previous (Lindey 59).

Close felt that his work was his so-called destiny. He created his works woth great precision and craftsmanship. Though looking quite hideous in his Self Portrait, he felt that

"painting is a true reflection of his reference photo-technically, no hair is misinterpreted" (Soules).

• Brown, Milton, Man Hunter, John Jacobus, Naomi Rosenblum, David Sokul. American Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1979.
• Delahunt, Michael. "ArtLex on Photo-realism" 1996. 16 Sep 2000.
• Lindey, Christine. Superrealist Painting & Sculpture. New York: Morrow, 1980.
• Lucie-Smith, Edward. Art Now. Secaucus, NJ: Wellfleet Press, division of book sales Inc., 1989.
• McVeigh, Frank. "Thoughts" No update. 12 Oct 2000.
• Sandler, Irving. American Art of the 1960's. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1988.
• Soules, Calli. "Chuck Close, Artist of Contrast" May 1998. 11 Oct 2000.
• Wilmerding, John. American Art. Harmondsworth, Eng.; New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1976.
• Xrefer. Unknown Author. Superrealism 1997. 11 Oct 2000.

  
  

  History and Thought of Western Man
  Rich East High School * Park Forest, IL 60466

  This page was created on March 14, 2001 by S.E. Last update March 14, 2001.

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