Eva Korn On Sale
1950s Photorealist Figurative Photography
Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper
People Also Browsed
1970s Prints and Multiples
Lithograph, Paper
1990s Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Acrylic, Fiberboard, Canvas
1940s Black and White Photography
Photographic Paper
1980s Pop Art Portrait Prints
Lithograph
1840s Other Art Style Landscape Prints
Lithograph
Late 19th Century Academic Black and White Photography
Photographic Paper
1940s Modern Landscape Photography
Photographic Paper
20th Century Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Copper
1830s Landscape Prints
Engraving
Artist Comments
"The moon and stars twinkle in the night sky while lights from windows create their own firmament," describes artist Pat Forbes. A charming cityscape created ...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Interior Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
The soft colors in this painting are harmonic and peaceful. The piece is painted with thick texture and expressive brushstrokes to indicate the dynamic beauty o...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist More Art
Oil
Early 20th Century Figurative Prints
Offset
Artist Comments
"Soft colors, beautiful mild atmosphere, and perspective indicate the mood and energy of the spring," says artist Suren Nersisyan. A painterly Colorado landsc...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist More Art
Oil
Antique Mid-19th Century Prints
Paper
1920s Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
"There is nothing better than welcoming a new day with the sun shining in a cloudless sky," says artist Pat Forbes. Topsy turvy monochrome structures in pale ...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Interior Paintings
Acrylic
Recent Sales
1950s Photorealist Figurative Photography
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
A Close Look at Photorealist Art
A direct challenge to Abstract Expressionism’s subjectivity and gestural vigor, Photorealism was informed by the Pop predilection for representational imagery, popular iconography and tools, like projectors and airbrushes, borrowed from the worlds of commercial art and design.
Whether gritty or gleaming, the subject matter favored by Photorealists is instantly, if vaguely, familiar. It’s the stuff of yellowing snapshots and fugitive memories. The bland and the garish alike flicker between crystal-clear reality and dreamy illusion, inviting the viewer to contemplate a single moment rather than igniting a story.
The virtues of the “photo” in Photorealist art — infused as they are with dazzling qualities that are easily blurred in reproduction — are as elusive as they are allusive. “Much Photorealist painting has the vacuity of proportion and intent of an idiot-savant, long on look and short on personal timbre,” John Arthur wrote (rather admiringly) in the catalogue essay for Realism/Photorealism, a 1980 exhibition at the Philbrook Museum of Art, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At its best, Photorealism is a perpetually paused tug-of-war between the sacred and the profane, the general and the specific, the record and the object.
“Robert Bechtle invented Photorealism, in 1963,” says veteran art dealer Louis Meisel. “He took a picture of himself in the mirror with the car outside and then painted it. That was the first one.”
The meaning of the term, which began for Meisel as “a superficial way of defining and promoting a group of painters,” evolved with time, and the core group of Photorealists slowly expanded to include younger artists who traded Rolleiflexes for 60-megapixel cameras, using advanced digital technology to create paintings that transcend the detail of conventional photographs.
On 1stDibs, the collection of Photorealist art includes work by Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Chuck Close, Audrey Flack, Charles Bell and others.
Finding the Right figurative-photography for You
Life becomes art in figurative photography. Shared moments are captured and history is recorded in images of people and their lives.
Figurative photography is often used to describe a kind of photography in which people are the subject. Early black and white photography of people can be a glimpse into a past century — witness the celebrated work of photographers such as Ansel Adams or lesser-known artists like Berenice Abbott, for example. The cultural and social standards of the time are captured in these figurative photographs.
Mid-century photos might show the life and fashions of the day, sometimes with the shared thread of humanity, joy and love. Indeed, figurative photographs can be a source of inspiration and wonder, speaking of common life experiences and beauty. Vintage photos of celebrities and iconic actors can be valuable keepsakes as snapshots of a bygone era.
Just as if you were bringing paintings, prints or drawings into your space as part of the decor, there are many ways to arrange your figurative photography. Large photos can be statement pieces in a room. Smaller photographs can be placed on bookcases or on compact wall spaces to add an artistic element to a living room or a bedroom.
Find a collection of figurative photography on 1stDibs today.