Hyperrealism in Art: Going Beyond the Real

Paromita Rasheed, 24101323

The new art form of hyperrealism came into being by the works of sculptors Carole Feuerman, John De Andrea and artist Duane Hanson in the late 20th century. The origin of the term hyperrealism originated from an exhibition organized by a Belgian art dealer named Isy Brachot who named it "L’hyperréalisme", in 1973.

 

To make paintings look more realistic, artists often use oil paints and add layers to create depth in them. Glazing is a technique that is used by thinning down paints and applying them transparently over thick, dry paints to achieve a lifelike effect. Other mediums are also used widely to make hyper-realistic art pieces. Artists like Jason De Graff challenges the idea that acrylic paints can't create depth like oil paints. He makes incredibly detailed hyper-realistic paintings, especially focusing on glass and metal surfaces. His paintings efficiently show reflections of light and shadows.

One of the most interesting yet difficult subjects when working with hyper realism is water. Artist Irina Cumberland works with this very subject representing and creating water reflections and fractal patterns in her paintings.

This art form is still not in trend in Bangladesh. There are some artists whose creations can be considered realistic edging near the border of hyperrealism. Artists like Nasir Hossain and Helal Shah are paving the way for new artists to create paintings that may very soon take the form of hyper realism.