The Development of Artistic Trends Across Eras: Photorealism, c. 1968-Present
| Photorealism is an art movement that emerged in the late 1960s in the United States, characterized by an extraordinarily detailed and precise depiction of everyday scenes, closely resembling high-resolution photographs. As a response to Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism, Photorealism reasserted the value of representation, using the mechanical clarity of the camera as both a tool and a visual reference. Artists in this movement often used photographs, sometimes projected onto canvas, as the basis for their work, carefully reproducing even the smallest details with technical accuracy. The subject matter frequently includes urban environments, cars, storefronts, diners, reflections, and portraits. Despite its realism, Photorealism is not about emotion or narrative, but rather the challenge of re-creating photographic perception through painting or drawing. While some critics initially dismissed it as cold or mechanical, the movement gained respect for its discipline, craftsmanship, and its questioning of what it means to see and represent reality. Photorealism continues to influence contemporary realism and hyperrealism around the world. |
 Richard Estes, Telephone Booths, 1968 |
Key Features of Photorealism:
| • Extremely detailed, realistic images based on photographs • Emphasis on surface texture, light, and reflection • Neutral or impersonal tone, often lacking narrative or emotion • Use of projectors or grids to transfer photographic detail • Focus on contemporary, often mundane, American life |
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Art and Artists of Note: Photorealism |
Chuck Close (1940–2021) |
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Chuck Close was a groundbreaking American artist known for his massive, hyper-detailed portraits based on photographs. A central figure in the Photorealist movement, he began his career with meticulous black-and-white paintings that pushed the boundaries of traditional portraiture. His breakthrough work, Big Self-Portrait (1967–68), is a nine-foot-tall, tightly cropped image of Close himself, rendered with exacting detail from a photograph. Every pore, hair, and wrinkle is preserved, challenging viewers to confront both the subject and the process of seeing. Despite its photographic realism, the painting is also a meditation on identity, vulnerability, and control. Close struggled with learning disabilities, including prosopagnosia (face blindness), which ironically may have deepened his obsession with capturing faces. In 1988, he suffered a spinal artery collapse that left him largely paralyzed. Remarkably, he continued to paint using a grid system and assistants, adapting his method without sacrificing detail or scale. His perseverance made him a symbol of resilience in contemporary art. |
 Big Self-Portrait, 1967–68 |
Audrey Flack (1931-2024) |
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Audrey Flack is a pioneering American artist and one of the first female figures in the Photorealist movement. Combining technical precision with rich symbolism, her work often explores themes of femininity, time, and mortality, bridging classical art traditions and contemporary imagery. Her painting Marilyn (Vanitas) (1977) is a vibrant, hyper-detailed still life centred on an image of Marilyn Monroe, surrounded by items like pearls, candles, fruit, and a pocket watch. Referencing the 17th-century vanitas genre, the work meditates on beauty, fame, and impermanence. Flack merges the glamor of Hollywood with traditional symbols of mortality, suggesting a deeper psychological reflection on the pressure and fragility of female identity. Flack has spoken openly about the emotional weight behind her work, which often stems from her own experiences with motherhood, gender expectations, and personal loss. Unlike many Photorealists, her paintings are deeply personal, layered with emotional and cultural complexity, beneath their glossy surfaces. |
 Marilyn (Vanitas), 1977 |
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