Photorealism and Hyperrealism in American Arts

Abstract

This bachelor thesis inspects the art movements of Photorealism and Hyperrealism that took place in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It puts the styles into historical context with other art movements depicting reality and provides critiques of hyperreality by the philosopher Jean Baudrillard. Furthermore, the work examines the properties, techniques, and ideas of Photorealism and focuses on the authors such as Richard Estes, Chuck Close, Ralph Goings, and Duane Hanson. The thesis expresses possible interpretations of the artworks created by the mentioned authors and provides contrasts or comparisons to art created by authors in different styles. It also provides evidence of Photorealism turning into Hyperrealism by showing Czechoslovak Socialistic Republic authors such as Theodor Pištěk and Zdeněk Beran in the 1980s.