Have look at the image on the right. Take a closer look.

You can be forgiven for thinking it is a photograph. The pores of the skin are so clear, the eyes are so lucid that surely only a digital medium could capture such definition? But in actuality you are looking at a painting. The artist is Dru Blair and he is an exponent of the recent art movement of hyper-realism. This style, which is also called superrealism, elicits shock and awe from new viewers – many cannot believe that what they are seeing is not a photograph.

However, it also has its detractors. Many feel that the hyper-realistic art pieces are anything but art. That this school produces works that are soulless, mere exercises in technical showmanship devoid of any substance.

Still,  incredible skill is required to produce such realism. Some even go so far as to say that this skill mirrors the artistry of the old masters, who were artisans first and artists second. Modern art no longer places an emphasis on skill and has moved in the Platonic realm of forms and shapes.

So, which works are real art? Abstract? Hyper-realistic? That is for the viewers to decide for themselves.

You can find many great pieces of art on bidorbuy.