A direct challenge to Abstract Expressionism’s subjectivity and gestural vigor, Photorealism was informed by the Pop predilection for representational imagery, popular iconography and tools, like projectors and airbrushes, borrowed from the worlds of commercial art and design.
Whether gritty or gleaming, the subject matter favored by Photorealists is instantly, if vaguely, familiar. It’s the stuff of yellowing snapshots and fugitive memories. The bland and the garish alike flicker between crystal-clear reality and dreamy illusion, inviting the viewer to contemplate a single moment rather than igniting a story.
The virtues of the “photo” in Photorealist art — infused as they are with dazzling qualities that are easily blurred in reproduction — are as elusive as they are allusive. “Much Photorealist painting has the vacuity of proportion and intent of an idiot-savant, long on look and short on personal timbre,” John Arthur wrote (rather admiringly) in the catalogue essay for Realism/Photorealism, a 1980 exhibition at the Philbrook Museum of Art, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At its best, Photorealism is a perpetually paused tug-of-war between the sacred and the profane, the general and the specific, the record and the object.
“Robert Bechtle invented Photorealism, in 1963,” says veteran art dealer Louis Meisel. “He took a picture of himself in the mirror with the car outside and then painted it. That was the first one.”
The meaning of the term, which began for Meisel as “a superficial way of defining and promoting a group of painters,” evolved with time, and the core group of Photorealists slowly expanded to include younger artists who traded Rolleiflexes for 60-megapixel cameras, using advanced digital technology to create paintings that transcend the detail of conventional photographs.
On 1stDibs, the collection of Photorealist art includes work by Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Chuck Close, Audrey Flack, Charles Bell and others.
$80Sale Price|20% Off
Going Home Photograph, Photorealist Still-Life, 8x10 Inches
Located in Chesterfield, MI
Turtle crawling to the shores of Anchor Bay, Michigan. He did not succeed, unfortunately. Measures 8 x 10 inches and is Unframed. Also available: 5 x 7 inches.
Photographic Paper
"Tablescape - Lillet and Chicharron" Modern Still-Life Photography Food
By Beth Galton
Located in Wellesley, MA
I am a professional food and still life photographer with over 30 years experience based in New York City. My attention to detail and strong sense of composition has allowed me to ac...
Photographic Paper
Three Pears and a Bowl
Located in New York, NY
hand colored photograph. Edition 4/11
Photographic Paper
"Cut Food - Donuts and Coffee" Modern Photography Food Still-Life Pop Art
By Beth Galton
Located in Wellesley, MA
"I am a professional food and still life photographer with over 30 years experience based in New York City. My attention to detail and strong sense of composition has allowed me to ...
Archival Pigment
"Still Life - Cheese and Crackers" Modern Still-Life Food Photography
By Beth Galton
Located in Wellesley, MA
"I am a professional food and still life photographer with over 30 years experience based in New York City. My attention to detail and strong sense of composition has allowed me to ...
Archival Pigment
"Pancakes and Syrup" Modern Photography Still-Life Food Pop Sensibility
By Beth Galton
Located in Wellesley, MA
These are available individually as well for $1,200 each, unframed. "I am a professional food and still life photographer with over 30 years experience based in New York City. My a...
Archival Pigment
"Cut Food - Cereal" Modern Photography Food Still-Life with Pop Sensibility
By Beth Galton
Located in Wellesley, MA
"I am a professional food and still life photographer with over 30 years experience based in New York City. My attention to detail and strong sense of composition has allowed me to ...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
What Love is 6
By Maleonn
Located in New York, NY
The son of a known Chinese drama director and a very famous actress, Maleonn grew up in an artistic environment, where he began to study art when only 11 years old. After graduating ...
Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Mixed Media, Photographic Paper, Photogram
Price Upon Request
Patrol
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by her love for nature, Griet Van Malderen (Belgium, 1970), a self-taught wildlife photographer from Flanders in Belgium, has been explorin...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Pigment, Archival...
Price Upon Request
Too Close
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by her love for nature, Griet Van Malderen (Belgium, 1970), a self-taught wildlife photographer from Flanders in Belgium, has been explorin...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Photogram, Pigmen...
Price Upon Request
Next Generation
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by her love for nature, Griet Van Malderen (Belgium, 1970), a self-taught wildlife photographer from Flanders in Belgium, has been exploring Africa’s wild places for the pas...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Pigment
Price Upon Request
Archie's ghost board
Located in Fairfield, CT
Andrew Blauschild is an artist who began photographing the New York surf, seascape and art cultures in the late 80s accumulating one of the richest archives of New York's underground...
Dye Transfer
Price Upon Request
Twin fin ghost board
Located in Fairfield, CT
Andrew Blauschild is an artist who began photographing the New York surf, seascape and art cultures in the late 80s accumulating one of the richest archives of New York's underground...
Dye Transfer
Price Upon Request
Untitled
By Anouk Krantz
Located in Fairfield, CT
Born and raised in France, Anouk Masson Krantz moved to the United States in the late 1990s. She earned her bachelor's degree and worked at Cartier’s New York corporate office. Anou...
Pigment