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Hyperrealism: HD Paintings Leave You Questioning What's Real

Hyperreal paintings mimic the depth, focus, and the occasional malfunctions of high definition photography. The effects are jarring and deeply human.

Patrick James
By Patrick JamesOct 31, 2010
Patrick James
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It's been nearly 80 years since the critic and philosopher Walter Benjamin wrote "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction," in which he explored the void left by our ability to create photographic representations of images, which he felt lacked the aura or originality of the artist's hand. In the years since then, high-definition photography has made it ever easier to produce realistic images (and, somewhat regrettably, photo-editing filters have allowed us to mimic "vintage" effects to with the click of a button).

Meanwhile, painting persists. In what's sometimes called hyperrealism, a group of emerging and established artists create paintings and sculptures that approximate the appearance of high definition photography. The results are sometimes jarringly lifelike; other times, the artist focuses on the inherent flaws of digital photography—like compression errors or over-exposures—revealing something deeply human in the process.

cultureartphotographywalter benjaminhyperrealismdiego gravinesealexa meadegregory thielkerandy denzlerdan witzgerhard richter

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