photorealism

Diego Gravinese’s Strange, Surreal Photorealistic Paintings

By Judy Berman on Oct 31, 2011 11:00am

Photorealistic painting is most often a literal interpretation of the world as the artist observes it onto the canvas. Because it’s so straightforward, the style can get a little old, so we’re always excited to see painters trying something new with it. Beautiful/Decay points us to the work of Diego Gravinese, an Argentinean painter who injects glimpses of the bizarre into the most quotidien of scenes: A couple is in bed, in an otherwise normal room where crystals are growing out of the floor and ceiling; a woman stands at the edge of a beautiful body of water, staring out at an airplane that appears to be dropping bombs. Wander through Gravinese’s familiar yet strange world after the jump, then visit his website to see more. … Read More

Art

Yanni Floros’ Gorgeous, Disturbing Photorealistic Charcoal Drawings

By Judy Berman on Oct 4, 2011 12:00pm

Guns. Gas masks (and hazmat suits). Girls wearing headphones. These are the three subjects that comprise Adelaide, Australia-based artist Yanni Floros’ work in charcoal. While alluring images of pretty women listening to music don’t seem to have much in common with post-apocalyptic portraits and close-ups of instruments of death, Floros explains on his website that the common factor is our relationship to the gadgets we build. “I’ve always been interested in technology, especially the design of things and the way they’re put together,” he writes. “It goes deeper than that, when I view humanity as a whole I have to ask ‘what is it about us that wants to make all this?’” Of course, his work is also united by a style that is so precise and detailed, it would be difficult to tell his charcoals apart from artfully composed black-and-white photos. Click through for a gallery of our favorite pieces by Floros, and visit his website to see more. … Read More

Art

Amazing Photorealistic Paintings of Urban Landscapes

By Caroline Stanley on Sep 20, 2011 5:00pm

Emerging artist Jessica Hess walks the streets of San Francisco armed with a camera, and then later recreates the photos that she has snapped in oil, acrylic, and gouache. ”You have the architect who designed the building, the street artists that alter its surface, Mother Nature tearing it all down, and me, taking it all in,” she has explained. “These locations are really all I notice in a city. I am not your typical tourist. I go right to the worst neighborhoods and industrial wastelands on the outskirts of town.” Click through for a slide show of some of our favorite pieces. … Read More