In this less than 2 minute video Anna Halldin Maule from Sweden uses oil paints to create art that looks more real than a photograph. It can take up to 4 months for Anna to finish one painting.
May I add a quote from Wikipedia – Hyperrealism is contrasted with the literal approach found in traditional photorealist paintings of the late 20th century. Hyperrealist painters and sculptors use photographic images as a reference source from which to create a more definitive and detailed rendering, one that often, unlike Photorealism, is narrative and emotive in its depictions. Strict Photorealist painters tended to imitate photographic images, omitting or abstracting certain finite detail to maintain a consistent over-all pictorial design.They often omitted human emotion, political value, and narrative elements. Since it evolved from Pop Art, the photorealistic style of painting was uniquely tight, precise, and sharply mechanical with an emphasis on mundane, everyday imagery.
Hyperrealism, although photographic in essence, often entails a softer, much more complex focus on the subject depicted, presenting it as a living, tangible object. These objects and scenes in Hyperrealism paintings and sculptures are meticulously detailed to create the illusion of a reality not seen in the original photo. That is not to say they’re surreal, as the illusion is a convincing depiction of (simulated) reality. Textures,surfaces, lighting effects, and shadows appear clearer and more distinct than the reference photo or even the actual subject itself. Unquote
So do I think it is art combined with skill and an immense effort – the answer is YES as it needs composition, design and skill to produce hyperrealist paintings. Here is a link to a report about an exhibition in Amsterdam. Here is an eight minute video by an artist showing how he works.
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