Research project!

A little background into Photorealism

The 1960s was full of controversy in the art world. Minimalism and Pop Art paved the way for Photorealism by challenging people to consider pieces like Kasimir Malevich’s “Black Cross” as true art. Some have described Photorealism as a reaction to Minimalism. In 1992, Vivien Raynor wrote in the “New York Times” that Photorealism “came out of Pop yet had the affectlessness of Minimalism and, at the same time, capitalized on the public's fondness for exact replication.” 

Black Cross

 Photorealists began with the camera as a device for recording the naked truth of their subject matter on film. Then they used a technical, if not scientific, methodology for painting the image captured on film. Observers could then react to the pure truth produced in the systematic process. Thomas Albright, an art critic for the “San Francisco Chronicle,” once said that “intervention between the painting and objects served to neutralize the original subject of the picture.” 

This art movement continued into the 1970s at its peak, and some artists continued the approach for the next few decades. Photorealism was international, not just limited to American artists. The leader of Photorealism in the 1960s was Richard Estes. He graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1956 and relocated to the art world in New York City. Estes would always use the camera to create images that would be useful for his representational paintings. 

Early on, Estes specialized in urban landscapes and had solo exhibitions with this title. Later, he turned to European subjects and sea landscapes. In 1967’s “Figures in Cafeteria,” Estes reflected the influence of Impressionism in the artistic rendering of indoor light and the clothing details of the cafeteria diners. The total effect is a moment captured in time with a reassuring sense of motion. 

Richard Estes painting

Richard Estes 

Some art historians describe New Image painting in conjunction with Photorealism, but painters were already creating representational paintings from press clippings and other sources before the Photorealists in the late 1960s. In the 1960s and 1970s, artists succeeded in forever altering conceptions of art through new imagery. 

Ralph Goings is another American painter loosely associated with the Photorealism movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He studied art at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California.
He’s best known for his highly detailed paintings of diners, pick-up trucks, and California banks, portrayed in a deliberately objective manner.  

Photorealists like Richard Estes and Ralph Goings continued to focus on Realism and used other media to create representational images, including pen and ink, pastels, and prints, in the 1980s and beyond.

Tommy costumes

We've been making costumes for Tommy for the last week which has been great. I forgot how much I loved putting pieces together and ending up with a beautiful item of clothing. I made a 1950s style dress which is gorgeous. I like it so much iv asked Jill if I can use the pattern to make a dress for myself!
I've also been working on a blouse for Tommy and Rose and I have just started re sizing a pattern for a 'Teddy jacket'. Im really glad we'll still be in costume when the fittings take place as i'd love to finish the green dress as i really enjoyed making it and i'd love to see it finished!
We've also had our millinery class with Christine which has been really interesting. I'm making a 3/4 bowler hat which i'm loving. Its so cute!
I feel like i'm learning a lot during my time in costume and I think i've become a lot more confident in what i'm doing and I have more of an idea of how pattern pieces go together, although I still ask to make sure. I'm really enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and the easy going nature of the costume girls. I like the respect we get of just being given a pattern and left to work on it on your own.
I really need to invest in  sewing machine!

My little hat

1950s dress for Tommy

Minors- Time for Costume

Were into our minors now for the next 5 weeks so i'm up in costume. Were working on Twelfth Night but its mainly alterations and just small bits and bobs so its very relaxed at the moment.
I've been working on "Olivias" blue dress as it was too short for the actress so I had to add a 5inch hem onto the bottom of it which was not as easy as it sounds as i was working with 1390 cm of material which was a bit of a mission at times. But I really enjoyed it and eventually got it finished. Hopefully its the right length now.

I'm looking forward to our hat class with Christine this week though. I'm not sure what i'm going to make yet but it will be exciting to make a hat from scratch.

Had life drawing class again which I wasn't looking forward to. I really don't enjoy life drawing im no good at it and I just get frustrated with my work. I find it really hard to get the proportions right without using a gridded up photo....I know I need to practice. And its one of my new year resolutions. Im going to get a new sketch book this week. One which I will enjoy drawing in. I have a couple just now but one is too small and the other is too big. I will improve.....eventually!

Thats all i've got to write just now really. Only been back a week and not much has happened yet.....

Olivias dress with the hem I added.

A new year and back to uni.

Happy new year! 
Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and new year. I had a great time down south with my boyfriends family. We went on a day trip to Brighton and visited the Brighton Pavillion. Wow, that place is absolutely beautiful. If I owned my own flat I would definitely use what I saw there as inspiration to decorating some of my rooms!

Brighton Pavillion hallway

So I didn't manage to get my hummingbird painting finished in time for Christmas. I got quite a lot done but I got ill the last 2 weeks of uni and just had no motivation to do any painting after uni. I also didn't even get my Coke can painting started. I will definitely start it and work on it in the evenings as im now going into Costume so i'll need to keep up my painting skills. I have been doing a few sketches over the holidays, though probably not as many as i should have done, and i got a couple of 20th century art books as presents to improve my knowledge of the art world.

I have been doing a little bit of research into my specialist subject and have come across an artist called Dru Blair. I thought that I had typed in photography by mistake when the image came up of one of his paintings "Trica". Its absolutely perfect and there is no sign of a brush stroke in it.

Trica

 Dru started off wanting to be a doctor but when he discovered he had an atristic talent he changed his degree to art. When he graduated he got a job in commercial illustration. He then went on to win the national airbrush excellence award. The following year he produced his first aviation painting which became the first of 3 of his paintings to be the Air Force magazine cover and is still the number one selling aviation print in the world. He focuses most on aircrafts and has done a lot of paintings for start trek book covers.
The way he has captured the planes is amazing. He has obviously perfected the technique of using an airbrush and produces some stunning pieces of art!

http://www.drublair.com/index.html

I also came across a hyperrealism blog which I have bookmarked on my laptop and take a look at it every so often to see what other photorealism artists they display and have a little look at the websites of the ones I like the look of. http://hyperrealism-hiperrealismo.blogspot.com/