Parallel Actions with Camera and Easel, Article Review Example

Photorealism is an interesting topic that you do not hear a lot about. There were some quotes in the article that I did and did not agree with. Also, some of the comments made about art history were interesting. Many things were said about what can and cannot be considered art, there should not be a distinction between what is and is not art.

One quote early on in the article caught my attention. It says, “Painting cannot discover reality any longer” (323). I do not agree with this quote. Art in general is not supposed to be reality. Art, including a painting is what the viewer chooses to see. Yes, the picture might be of a horse to begin with but the viewer might see a Kentucky Derby winner instead of just a random horse. Art is there so that a person can escape the confines of reality and go someplace new like the winner’s circle at the derby.

I like however, John Salt’s quote which says, “if he had not moved to America, he would never had painted cars” (330). Cars are everywhere in America so if someone were to paint on it might not seem like art to many Americans. There are exceptions. If you were in a third world country where most of the people had no idea what a car was or even looked like it would seem like a wonderful piece of artwork. They are seeing something they have never seen before letting them visualize what it would be like to be in a place where this machines are a part of everyday life.

There was a lot said about art history. Like the portion of the article that claims photography is causing art history to disappear. Just because photography has become a popular form of art does not mean pieces like the “Mona Lisa” are going to be forgotten. History cannot be replaced but rather more history is being made.

Finally, I do not agree with the comment about some things not being art. What is art to one person might look like a bunch of garbage to another. Different people have different tastes when it comes to what they believe is art. Because of this, photography can be seen as a type of art. Photography is just like a painting. The artist has to decide how he wants the lighting to be and where he or she wants his objects to be placed. And then you have photography and paintings being mixed creating photorealism where you take a photo of a person and paint it so that it looks like a photo and but is in fact just a painting.

Many good points made in this article but also there were many points that could be disputed. Photorealism can be a type of art because art is truly what the viewer sees as art which can differ from person to person.