Realism began in France in the 19th century to challenge the idealized and romanticized images dominating the art world. Following the French Revolution, painters focused more on ordinary people and everyday scenes. Although subjects in Realist art are easily recognizable, viewers still know it is an art piece. On the other hand, Photorealism paintings portray a scene as if it were a photograph. This style of painting grew in popularity during the rise of advertising and color photography in the 1960s and as an answer to the fame of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. Reflecting the social and technological situation of their time, artists depict reality with their own methods and intentions.
Gustave Courbet (1819 to 1877), the founder of Realism, used heavy brushstrokes and palette knife work to depict the harsh everyday life of ordinary people. Before him, painters only made high art, romanticizing the lives of historical figures and noble individuals and hiding their imperfections.
Chuck Close (1940 to 2021), a pioneer of Photorealism, used grids in his larger-than-life portraits. He suffered from face blindness, a condition that made it difficult to recognize and remember people's faces. His Photorealist paintings were his way of committing faces to memory. His detailed works also became a bridge to Hyperrealism.
Marilyn Minter (born 1948) paints Hyperrealist close-up images of body parts to examine the perception of beauty, female empowerment, and sexuality in modern culture. She digitally alters photographs and uses them as references in her painting.
