Photorealism - what's your opinion?

[Heidi Maiers]

Not being a painter myself, I would be interested in hearing the opinion of you fine traditional painters out there about this style of painting. This link demonstrates a photorealistic portrait painted completely with an airbrush.

http://drublair.com/workshops/tica.html

[Allan Rahbek]

I believe that PR is a totally different style of painting and that it don

[Michele Rushworth]

As a style, Photorealism has a few detractors, who often dismiss it as pointless.

My thoughts exactly. Why recreate something in another medium (paint) so closely as to make it indistinguishable from the original (photo). That would be like creating a full scale model of the Eiffel Tower out of paperclips, so accurate as to be indistinguishable from the original. Why bother?

[Janet Kimantas]

I wonder if Photorealism is more about having something to prove than about having something to say?

[Steven Sweeney]

There

[Linda Brandon]

[QUOTE=Steven Sweeney]I personally want to be privy to some information or insight that I couldn

[Steven Sweeney]

Originally Posted by Linda Brandon

Some of the things artists do to distinguish themselves from other artists seem gimmicky to me.

I agree absolutely, and though I won't open the can of worms by naming names, some of the best-known contemporary artists being feted and deified have signature habits and quirks that I find extremely annoying, when encountered over and over -- as if they couldn't think of a different way to say something. I do realize that from a marketing perspective, consistency is important, but it also has that well-know hobgoblin quality. And there's a line, worth honoring, I think, between an artist's saying, "Look, here's the way I saw this subject," on the one hand, and, on the other, "Look at me!"

There's more than enough room in the world for both, but I'm not getting any younger, so I'm getting more particular. (Not unlike Bear Claw, in "Jeremiah Johnson," who when asked if he'd grown particular, responded, "Not about feedin', just the company I keep.")

And yes, Pema Chodron's advice -- her work has taken me to places I've barely glimpsed until now. I can't recommend her too highly.

[Richard Monro]

The work is stunning and it takes talent to produce such a great PR painting. BUT why not just blow up a really good photo and save all the time and effort.

To me, realistic painting is about having the artist bringing something extra to the party. Interpretation, technique, viewpoint or even the artist's particular quirks in style (think Van Gogh) that goes beyond the obvious and clearly identifies the painting as unique and ART.

[Michele Rushworth]

Well put!

[Heidi Maiers]

Good (and interesting) commentaries from you all. I came across this site and had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, the technological aspects of how on earth they are able to do that is incredible. On the other hand, the work itself as a