Hyper-realistic paintings are always fun to look at because your eyes and brain totally want to believe they’re actual photographs even though you know they’re not. It’s like an internal conversation goes on in your head trying to talk your eyes out of what it sees. No, it can’t be just a painting. Are you sure? But it always is just a drawing. A drawing more perfect than real life.
Visual News recently found the work of Jason de Graaf and they’re incredible. He uses reflections to double the trick, creating a photorealistic orb or glass with a fake reality in them. He explains what he’s trying to do:
My paintings are about staging an alternate reality, an illusion of verisimilitude on the painted surface. I try to use objects as a vehicle to express myself, tell a story or least hint at something beyond what is actually painted. Therefore I try to choose objects that have meaning to me or are artifacts from my life.
If you look closely at his paintings, you can probably see the imperfect perfection of drawn life but at first glance? It looks just like a photograph. You can see more of his paintings here.
