Realism in fine art is an inspiring imagination that challenges digital mastery

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Realism in plastic art is considered the mother of modern art schools, and it has appeared in its current concept since the mid-nineteenth century, as it was considered one of the outputs of the Renaissance in the European continent.

Specialists and critics criticize the artists of this school for depriving them of imagination by conveying reality as it is, to the extent that it is difficult for the human eye to distinguish it from a photograph, at a time when the latter, in its digital aspect, has achieved tremendous development, while others see that it is not Digital mastery can rival the inspiring imagination of a talented artist.

“Al-Bayan” polled the opinions of a number of plastic artists and critics on this subject, as the plastic artist Abdullah Abu Asali, who remained loyal to realistic photography, even being called the king of hyper-realism in Syria, considered that whatever the ability of the camera and the photographer, they would not be able to find and send something The artist broadcasts it through his painting. The camera, in his opinion, sets the scene.

You may add some modifications to it through Photoshop, but the painting has very unique and special criteria related to the artist himself, and it differs from one person to another, as each has his own vision and feeling, so it is closer to the viewer and recipient than the camera image.

Transfer

Abu Asali rejects the opinion that realistic painting depends on transmission, and affirms that imagination has the greatest role with the ability to draw in the embodiment of the artwork.

In the defense of realism presented by plastic artist Henry Sayegh, he explains that art came originally from the art of drawing, which writes and defines things in their true form.

Live scene

Sayegh rejects any comparison between realism in drawing and photography, or to say that this type of drawing has passed its time, and he believes that this comparison is a common mistake, and describes realism as a living scene, which is completely different from the rigid photographic image, “In realistic drawing, the presence of the artist is evident In space and time, and not just a recording of what is going on around us.

Plastic artist Ammar Shawa takes a moderate position despite the realistic approach in most of his productions. He says in this context: “He does not give the school style great importance. The most important thing, in his opinion, is that the work be honestly busy and full of questions.”

different look

The artist and visual critic, Adeeb Makhzoum, presents a different view of realistic painting, in which he finds ambiguity and a problematic superiority to that which we find in abstract art, and its synthetic and installation counterparts, laboratory painting, light, and other extreme artistic trends in their modernity.

Makhzoum bases his view on the fact that the amazing digital development has given those who describe them, the pretenders of realistic art, unlimited means and ways to access realistic computer-drawn paintings, without any interference from them. However, he excludes from this charge those who work within the framework of digital arts as a recognized art.

According to Makhzoum: The prevalence of this software led to a very large increase in the number of those who draw the realistic with extreme accuracy, in a manner that calls for suspicion, and the percentage of digital paintings produced constituted two-thirds of what people draw by classical means.