What to do in Oklahoma on Jan. 24, 2013: See “Photorealism Revisited” at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Don Jacot (American, born 1949). “Times Square, 1937,” 2012. Oil on linen. Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York. Courtesy International Arts
Today’s featured event:
See the new special exhibition “Photorealism Revisited,” organized by International Arts and opening today at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive.
The exhibition features more than 60 paintings by 38 photorealist artists who have embraced photography as a crucial part of the artistic process. Cheryl Kelley, one of the artists whose work is featured in the show, will give a lecture at 6 p.m. today at the museum.
“Photorealism Revisited” features works by pioneers of photorealism including Robert Bechtle, Tom Blackwell, Charles Bell, Chuck Close, Robert Cottingham, Audrey Flack, Don Eddy, Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Ron Kleemann, Richard McLean, and Ben Schonzeit, who each independently arrived at the decision to use photography as a source for their painting.
The term “photorealism” was coined by gallery owner Louis K. Meisel in 1968 to describe a group of artists who began favoring a new type of photographic realism in the 1960s. This aesthetic came about after the height of the modern, non-objective, and abstract expressionist art of the mid-20th century and the consumer-based imagery associated with Ppop art.
Photorealists were initially denounced for copying photography, and their work was dismissed for lacking artistic merit. Considered a reactionary fad, the art movement eventually gained recognition and reached its height in the 1970s. Artists continue to embrace photorealism today. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in figurative imagery, narrative content, and illusionistic space. The return of representational art among avant-garde artists has prompted a new review of photorealism that can be seen in works by artists such as Kelley, David Parrish, Robert Gniewek, Don Jacot, Anthony Brunelli, Peter Maier, Robert Neffson, and others.
“You have to see it to believe because what you’re going to see are images that appear so photographic that it almost seems impossible that the artist would be able to contrive and create such detail through paint. This is detail through paint and through their technique that they can trick the eye,” Jennifer Klos, associate curator at the museum, told me in a recent interview.
“Even though they look very photographic — they look very realistic — they are certainly images that have been created only by an artist’s hand.”
Quintessentially American, although now an international art movement, many of the works in “Photorealism Revisited” focus on typical aspects of our urban and suburban landscapes such as trucks, motorcycles, cars, and roadside eateries. Other themes include portraiture, the still life and images of popular culture such as toys, comic books, and food.
The highly technical process associated with photorealism and its use of imagery from popular culture creates accessible paintings that continue to capture the imagination of their audiences. The exhibition will be on view in the first-floor special exhibition gallery through April 21.
To read more of my interview with Klos about “Photorealism Revisited,” click here. For more information, go to www.okcmoa.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Thank you for joining our conversation on BAM's Blog. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment