Photorealism
Photorealism is an art movement that emerged in the late 1960s, distinguished by its meticulous paintings that closely mimic the appearance of photographs. Artists within this movement, such as Richard Estes, Chuck Close, and Duane Hanson, often used photographs as reference material, employing mechanical methods to transfer the visual information to canvas. The term "photorealism" was introduced by gallery owner Louis K. Meisel, who outlined key principles defining the genre, including the necessity for artists to demonstrate technical skill in rendering their works to resemble the photographs from which they were derived.
The movement gained prominence through significant exhibitions, including the 1972 Documenta in West Germany, and was bolstered by art critics such as Clement Greenberg. Prominent works featured straightforward depictions of everyday subjects, with artists often exploring themes from daily life and consumer culture. Photorealism also extends into sculpture, with Duane Hanson creating life-size figures that reflect American life. As the movement evolved, it left a lasting impact on contemporary photography, influencing artists like Andreas Gursky and Thomas Struth, who incorporate elements of photorealism into their expansive photographic works.
Photorealism
Photorealism is an art movement that originated in the late 1960s. It is characterized by paintings that closely resemble photographs, in part because these works are based on photographs rather than on scenes from real life. Prominent artists such as Richard Estes, Chuck Close, and Duane Hanson spearheaded the photorealism movement. Other related art movements of the time included pop art and minimalism. Pop art was based on the glorification of the everyday image and the symbols commonly found in advertising, while minimalism prized visual simplicity, to a dramatic degree. These movements had some influence on photorealistic artists.
Definition
The term "photorealism" was coined by gallery owner Louis K. Meisel in the catalog for an exhibition in his gallery. The exhibition included the work of all major photorealist artists of the time period. The catalog identified five general principles for photorealism, as follows:
- Photographs and cameras serve as tools for the artist to obtain material to be painted.
- The information obtained by cameras or photographs must be transferred to the canvas by a mechanical method, either projection or some other means.
- The artist must have enough skill to make the painting look identical to the photograph.
- The artist must have exhibited his or her work specifically as a member of the photorealist movement.
- The artist must have spent at least five years creating work that could be described as photorealist.
Brief History and Major Artists
In 1972, a West German exhibition called Documenta solidified photorealism as an artistic movement. Art critic Clement Greenberg, whose involvement and enthusiasm helped to heighten and cement the reputation of these artists, covered this exhibition and others.
Photorealism featured a number of significant practitioners who worked in slightly different ways. Richard Estes was one of the first artists to be considered a photorealist. Early Estes works that represented the character of the movement included classics such as "Horn and Hardart Automat" (1967) and "Seated Figures" (1967). Both of these works depicted their subjects in a simple, straightforward manner without an excess of style, which was one of the characteristics of the early movement.
Chuck Close became known for his close-up portraits, which often featured oversized faces staring directly at the viewer. Close painted direct portraits, as in his famous "Big Self Portrait" (1967-1968) and composite portraits, in which a facial image was composed of numerous smaller images. A famous example of the latter technique is "Self-Portrait" (1997), a painting that focuses on the artist’s nose and face and appears somewhat fragmented due to the artist’s grid of independent images.
Ralph Goings began his artistic life as a student at the College of Arts and Crafts but moved on to more abstract artworks. In his early years, he enjoyed copying magazine and newspaper advertisements; eventually this work inspired him to assume the vaguely artificial style of advertising images. His later paintings of everyday objects, such as salt and pepper shakers, diners, and trailers, demonstrated his style and cemented his reputation among the photorealists.
Duane Hanson fulfilled the goals of the photorealists in three-dimensional form through sculpture. His works were primarily realistic life-size figures engaged in the regular activities of daily life. His work "Tourists" depicted a group of tourists inspecting their surroundings and was considered typical of his style. Hanson lived and worked for most of his life in Florida, although he resided in New York City for a brief period in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Hanson’s sculpted portraits of American life were shaped by the tranquility of life in the suburbs when compared to dynamic city living.
Malcolm Morley was predominantly associated with the photorealists, although he preferred to be called a "super realist." His paintings of postcard images brought him initial fame in the 1960s. As with other works of photorealism, these paintings were quite detailed and resembled photographs. Morley produced his work by creating a grid on the canvas and completing one grid at a time.
Audrey Flack entered the art world in the 1950s as an abstract expressionist but moved on to photorealist paintings in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her works were colourful still-lifes or recreations of well-known newspaper images, such as 1964’s "Kennedy Motorcade." Though she encountered minor resistance in the art world due to the emotional nature of her work, she was considered one of the major members of the movement.
Influences of the Movement
The photorealistic movement continues into the twenty-first century as many major artists continued to produce work. Interestingly, photorealism as an art form influenced modern photographers such as Andreas Gursky, whose huge photos feature gritty scenes from daily life as well as panoramic landscapes. Photographer Thomas Struth has also been influenced by this movement n his expansive but detached cityscapes. In many of Struth’s photographs, building facades are the primary focus, and there are few human figures.
Bibliography
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"Andreas Gursky." White Cube Gallery. 2016. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. http://whitecube.com/artists/andreas‗gursky/
"Audrey Flack." Hollis Taggart Galleries. 2015. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. http://www.hollistaggart.com/artists/thumbs/audrey-flack
"Audrey Flack: Breaking the Rules." Deutsche Bank Art Works. Deutsche Bank. 2012. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. http://db-artmag.com/en/54/feature/audrey-flack-breaking-the-rules/
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Kiernan, Kat. "Photorealism and the Camera: A Conversation with Louis K. Meisel." Don’t Take Pictures. 2014. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. http://www.donttakepictures.com/dtp-blog/2014/6/30/photorealism-and-the-camera-a-conversation-with-louis-k-meisel
"Photorealism." Collection Online. Guggenheim Museum. 2016. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/movements/195408
"Picturing America: Photorealism in the 1970s." Collection Online. Deutsche Guggenheim. 2009. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. http://www.deutsche-guggenheim.de/e/ausstellungen-picturingamerica01.php
"Ralph Goings." Langs de Wal Gallery. 2016. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. http://www.langsdewal.com/artists/ralph-goings
Wroe, Nicholas. "Malcolm Morley." The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. 4 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/oct/04/malcolm-morley-interview