Richard Estes Realism: Art Exhibit Analysis

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Richard Estes’ Realism is an exhibit consisting of a variety of paintings of various places around the world. The exhibit could be seen at the Portland Museum of Art from May 22, 2014, through September 7, 2014, before it became an online exhibit on the Smithsonian American Art Museum website. The exhibit is made up of paintings solely created by Richard Estes. The exhibit features paintings of urban scenes from various cities and countries. Estes' 50 years of work as an artist is showcased in this exhibit. The exhibit contains photorealist paintings. "Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium" (Wikipedia). Throughout all of the works in Richard Estes’ Realism, Estes perfectly portrays the scene on the canvas, thus at first glance, fooling the viewer into thinking it is a photograph. Richard Estes was born on May 14, 1932, in Kewanee, IL. Although still living, his legacy lies in his precise detail and invisible brushwork. Estes studied Fine Art at the Art Institute of Chicago. …show more content…

The choice to use oil on canvas is not random. Oil on canvas provides an increase of brightness in the image as opposed to the dullness of typical photo paper. The exhibit's art makes use of reflections and mirror images. These methods are apparent in Estes' Escalator. He portrays the view of looking down an escalator. So, he had to reflect the other side of the escalator on the shiny metal surface, creating an endless loop of reflections. Estes uses reflections to bring the water to life in his Antarctica. He creates the illusion of the sun hitting off the water, which creates light and a reflection of the snow-covered mountain. This attention to detail is what made all of Richard Estes’ paintings come to

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