hyperrealismi

Hyperrealismi, or hyperrealism, is a visual arts movement defined by works that achieve a level of detail and clarity that resembles high-resolution photography or hyper-real perception. While closely related to photorealism, hyperrealism often aims to intensify reality, producing scenes that can feel both precise and slightly uncanny, with narrative or social commentary implied through the image.

Originating in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States and Europe, hyperrealism developed from photorealism and expanded the emphasis on illusion, texture, and lighting. In painting, artists such as Richard Estes, Chuck Close, and Ralph Goings produced meticulously observed images of urban life and everyday objects. In sculpture, Duane Hanson and later Ron Mueck created life-size figures with extreme fidelity to human anatomy and surface detail.

Common characteristics include the deliberate use of photographs as source material, technically demanding rendering of textures (skin, hair, fabric, glass), precise lighting, and often a cool, detached mood. Subjects frequently depict mundane situations, consumer culture, or modes of media consumption, sometimes presented in a way that raises questions about reality and representation.

Hyperrealist works appear in painting, sculpture, and installation, and the movement has influenced contemporary realism by highlighting the tension between image and reality. It remains a dynamic field with ongoing exhibitions and a global set of practitioners who explore new media and narratives while maintaining a core emphasis on visual fidelity.