photorealism

American  

[foh-toh-ree-uh-liz-uhm] / ˌfoʊ toʊˈri əˌlɪz əm /

Sometimes photo realism

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. a style of painting flourishing in the 1970s, especially in the U.S., England, and France, and depicting commonplace scenes or ordinary people, with a meticulously detailed realism, flat images, and barely discernible brushwork that suggests and often is based on or incorporates an actual photograph.

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photorealism British  

/ ˌfəʊtəʊˈrɪəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. a style of painting and sculpture that depicts esp commonplace urban images with meticulously accurate detail

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• photorealistic
  adjective
• photorealist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of photorealism

First recorded in 1960–65; photo- + realism

Example Sentences

"If you don't do that, it does not come across as photorealism," argues Mr Whitten.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2023

The aesthetics, no matter the chosen style, seemed anime-inflected, with a dose of photorealism.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2023

Mr. Gertsch’s mastery at photorealism also intertwined with a photojournalist’s sensibility of storytelling.

From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2022

But the renderings approach photorealism in shadows and textures while departing from it in design and other ambience to become more evocative, occasionally even incorporating line drawings and what we now call “2D.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2021

On the plus side, Linda was smart to go deliberately abstract here, shunning the attempted photorealism of her peers for something with a little more artistic licence.

From The Guardian • Sep. 23, 2020