No, they’re not photographs: Astonishing acrylic paintings..you thought you could paint?

Mailonline ^ | 06/09/12 | Damien Gayle

[Doogle]

With their spectacular use of focus and reflected light, these incredible artworks look like carefully composed still-life photographs.

But in fact they are all painstakingly rendered on canvas with acrylic paints by Canadian artist Jason de Graaf.

The hyperrealistic paintings, which almost appear as if they are computer generated, are like freeze frames of a world more magical than our own - inspiring the term Magic Realism as a description.

[JoeProBono]

[Revolting cat!]

Good question. Is photo realism in painting art? It depends, I'd say. Wasn't Mona Lisa a realist painting? Is the following art? Why, why not?

[Revolting cat!]

The artist's statement is persuasive enough, I think:

Mr de Graaf told Poets & Artists magazine that his paintings are about creating the 'illusion of verisimilitude', filtered through his own vision of the world. 'Though I use photographs as the image source, my goal is not to reproduce of document faithfully what I see, but to create an illusion of depth and sense of presence not found in photographs,' he said. 'Many of my paintings are about the relationship of light with reflective and transparent surfaces and my journey to understand those qualities and convey my sense of wonder and intrigue over them. 'Lately I have been trying to imbue my paintings with a sense of narrative and lyricism.' Mr de Graaf is represented by the Plus One Gallery in London and by Galerie de Bellefeuille in Montreal.

[Atlantan]

Thanks for posting the Caillebotte, one of my favorite paintings at the Chicago Art Institute. It’s a huge painting and you’re drawn into the Paris street scene.

[Krankor]

Ah, my sincere, albeit simple minded friend. I can’t write someone and tell them how to be an artist. It comes from within. It’s an epiphany of sorts, where one’s creativity, one’s self actualization as a human spirit evolves from the very essence of their identity as a sentient being. I’m afraid you’ve seen too many matchbook covers advertising the “Famous Artists School” where they ask you to copy a picture of a dog. If only art was that easy.

[mountn man]

Things that make you go hmmmmmm...

[Chode]

i don't know, i've blown up several of them and can't find any...

from normal viewing distance (over 3' away) i bet they are close

[null and void]

Not. It's missing a certain je ne sais quoi ...

[Doogle]

Ah, my sincere, albeit simple minded friend. I can’t write someone and tell them how to be an artist.It comes from within

..so does BS

[tomkat]

in
cred
ible !

<ping>

[ntnychik]

Ping

[Copenhagen Smile]

Well, thats sure a wonder.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Extraordinary. His technique is off the charts.

I thought I did ultrarelistic digital painting, but I can’t hold a candle to this guy.

The canvases must be huge. But even then, this is very time-consuming
and incredibly skilled.

The downside is that the subject matter is mundane.

But his paintings will make a nice conversation piece in some billionaire’s pad.

[central_va]

My guess is Van Gogh would hate all of these paintings.

[martin_fierro]

Manet: The first "Photorealist"

[martin_fierro]

I always like Richard Estes' stuff.

[randita]

Here's one for you. Painting or real photo?

Read about it here:

http://www.labnol.org/internet/woman-painting-or-photograph/12801/

[Revolting cat!]

Photo. What do I win?

[martin_fierro]

Wait, wut?

[Revolting cat!]

Using Picasa (who needs Photoshop?! (Which I also have.)) I’ve been making my photographs look like paintings lately.