What Is Photorealism? Definition, Meaning & Modern Impact

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Published: June 6, 2019 | Last Updated: June 6, 2025

Origins of Photorealism

Photorealism emerged in the United States in the late 1960s. It followed Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art, combining the former’s scale with the latter’s mechanical precision.

Artists began using photographs not only for reference but also as the foundation for their paintings. Techniques included projecting images onto canvas, laying down grid systems, and using airbrushes to mimic the smooth surfaces of commercial imagery.

Art dealer Louis K. Meisel formally coined the term and outlined its criteria: the use of photographs, precise hand-painting, and a focus on optical fidelity over stylistic interpretation. Influences included Dutch still-life painters, Pop Art’s consumer focus, and the structure of advertising photography.

Photorealism vs Hyperrealism

Photorealism is often confused with hyperrealism, but their goals differ. Photorealists reproduce the world exactly as a photograph captured it, without adding interpretation or narrative. Hyperrealists exaggerate surface details and often add emotional or conceptual layers. The difference comes down to intent: documentation versus dramatization.

Here’s a good video breaking down the difference between realism, photorealism, and hyperrealism, where you can also see some examples of each style:

Common Subjects in Photorealist Art

Urban scenes played a central role in early photorealism. Artists painted storefronts, chrome diners, glass reflections, cars, and commercial signage with unflinching precision. The focus was on visual surfaces, shiny metal, layered reflections, depth through transparency.

Others turned to portraiture or still lifes filled with plastic items, cosmetics, or vanitas objects. These works often magnified the everyday, not for irony, but to show what the camera sees without emotion or commentary.

Key Artists and Methods

Chuck Close became known for his oversized portraits. He photographed friends, broke the image into a grid, and painted each square with intense focus on local detail. The results revealed every pore, wrinkle, and blemish. His method emphasized process: systematic, deliberate, and entirely manual.

Richard Estes focused on cities. His paintings of storefronts, glass facades, and cars captured the layering of urban reflections. He painted the kinds of scenes that a camera frames but the eye overlooks: crosswalks, traffic lights, polished chrome.

Audrey Flack added symbolic and personal content. Her still lifes included mirrors, skulls, cosmetics, and religious icons. These objects appeared crisp and clean, but the compositions hinted at themes of vanity, mortality, and femininity. She helped push photorealism toward emotional and autobiographical subjects without breaking its technical rules.

Tools and Process

Photorealist artists used projectors, grid overlays, and airbrushes to reach a level of surface smoothness that traditional brushwork could not provide. They often worked from multiple reference photos and would sometimes combine or crop them before transferring the image to canvas. Magnifiers, calipers, and later digital tools allowed for exact color-matching and spatial layout.

The goal was accuracy. Artists could spend weeks reproducing a single reflection or stretch of polished metal. The result was a painting that duplicated a photograph with almost no visual gap between the two.

Modern photorealism exists in both traditional and digital forms. Some painters continue working by hand, using photographs and layered paint just as the pioneers did. Others use digital tablets and software to replicate the process virtually. Artists like Yigal Ozeri combine digital planning with oil painting, creating portraits that blur the lines between photography and brushwork.

Photorealism in Film

Photorealism also influences commercial CGI, animation, and video games. The “live-action” remake of The Lion King (2019, Walt Disney) used digital animation to simulate wildlife documentary visuals with precise light modeling and realistic surface texture.

In Gemini Man (2019, Paramount), a fully digital younger Will Smith was created using facial scanning and frame-by-frame rendering to match live-action lighting and camera behavior.

These projects reflect the same goals as traditional photorealism, i.e., replicating photographic reality with technical accuracy, whether on canvas or screen.

Summing Up

Photorealism is an art movement defined by extreme technical accuracy. It began in the late 1960s, with artists using photographs, grids, and airbrushes to paint what cameras captured. The subject matter included cities, portraits, and consumer items, all rendered in sharp detail.

Today, its influence continues in both analog and digital media, from hand-painted still lifes to CGI environments. What unites all forms of photorealism is the commitment to seeing clearly and reproducing precisely.