Sometimes, I come across pictures, drawings, and paintings that seem a little bit too real. And for some reason, it gives me an unsettling feeling. If you’ve experienced something similar, then you witnessed an artist capturing hyperrealism very well.
Over the years, capturing hyperrealism has become associated with a style of painting, sculpture, and photography. It’s evolved into a cultural and artistic phenomenon that makes us question our perception of reality. To understand it better, this article will be filled with everything you need to know about capturing hyperrealism. We’ll discuss everything from traditional forms like painting and sculpture to modern photography and digital art.
Where did hyperrealism come from?
Before we had hyperrealism, there was photorealism. It was an art movement that began in the United States before it made its way to the rest of the world one exhibit and impression at a time. Back when it started, the idea was just to make photographs as the basis of paintings, replicating every detail as accurately as they could. Hyperrealism, originating in the late 60s to early 70s as an evolution of photorealism, took this concept just a few steps further. Since then, artists and photographers add an extra layer of emotional depth, narrative, and sometimes an exaggerated clarity that makes it more than just a copy of a photograph.
It got its name “hyperrealism” from Belgian art dealer Isy Brachot in the early 70s. With this new term came the recognition of a new wave of artists who pushed the boundaries of realism.
Capturing Hyperrealism in Photography
Hyperrealism in photography is something different. As a photographer, the task of capturing hyperrealism means creating images with extraordinary sharpness, detail, and dynamic range. As camera tech keeps advancing, there are more tools now more than ever to achieve hyperrealism. This includes editing software and printing techniques that can help achieve a level of detail and clarity that was previously unattainable.
The things and gear you need for capturing hyperrealism in photography are high-resolution cameras, carefully planned lighting setups, a handful of post-processing techniques like focus stacking, HDR imaging, and light to intensive digital retouching.
Some hyperrealist photographers even create composite images which are combinations of multiple photos to make a scene that is hyper-detailed and filled with an insane sense of clarity. Mindblowing! This is something that is more commonly seen in commercial photography and fashion photography. See if you can spot ’em when they’re being used.
How is hyperrealism done in other mediums?
Let’s see how hyperrealism looks outside of photography.
Painting
Hyperrealism in paintings provide unlimited answers to what is possible with paint and brush. Getting creative, artists use special fine-tipped brushes and stack multiple layers of paint to create high-resolution paintings. But unlike photorealism, hyperrealist paintings sometimes include subtle distortions or unnaturally enhanced details that could suggest a painter’s desire to push a deeper, more emotional narrative. Paintings like this are not just mimicking reality. Nope, they’re also creating a new version of it that evokes more emotion, and therefore feels more real.
Chuck Close, Richard Estes, and Gottfried Helnwein are good inspirations for hyperrealist painters (if you wish to be one!). They’re famous for their images with crazy detail, down to the glint of their subject’s eye or light reflection off a metallic surface. It’s amazing how painters make do with their materials.
Sculpture
Sculptures being hyperrealistic brings the art of replication to three dimensions, not just one and two. To understand how amazing this art form is, one can observe works by Ron Mueck and Duane Hanson. They both create life-sized (and even larger-than-life) sculptures that are adorned with a startling level of detail. In fact, everything looks real from the skin texture, hair, and even veins. These sculptures were made to evoke a sense of unease and fascination, and boy, do they!
If you’re curious about what materials hyperrealist sculptors use, they commonly use silicone, resin, and fiberglass. These are materials that seem so simple but when combined together the right way, they can make art that can provoke visceral reactions from many viewers.
Digital Art
As with every photography or art technique, digital art takes hyperrealism and opens up way more avenues for it. With digital software like Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, and 3D modeling programs, digital artists have so much power. Even with just a tablet and a stylus, they can make images that are indistinguishable from the real deal photos they picked as inspiration. Though they make digital art, it’s important to give them their credit. Digital hyperrealism involves painstakingly making the effort to create each pixel, then manipulating colors (if need be), adding shadows for depth, and hours of adding texture to make it look real. What a process!
In video games and especially VR (virtual reality), hyperrealism is the number one tool that developers use to create those immersive, jump-right-in environments. This is when hyperrealism extends to more than visuals. In video games and VR, hyperrealism includes sensory experiences.
My Final Thoughts: The Allure of Hyperrealism
Hyperrealism captivates watchers like us because it toys with how we understand and see reality. It invites or even challenges us to look closer and see more than what initially meets the eye. We’re captivated by details that seem so real but were done merely by the lens of a camera, strokes of a brush, or unique molding.
It’s a reminder that art isn’t just about mirroring life, it’s about heightening it. It should stretch the limits of our imagination and capture moments that feel both familiar and fantastically new. Try capturing hyperrealism on your next photoshoot, painting or sculpting session!
