Streaming Online October 9
Q&A With Director: Matthew Kaplowitz
\The Housatonic Museum of Art announced today the opening of an exciting new exhibition, “Photorealism: Fixing the Fleeting Moment.” The show features nine images by artists whose work helped define the art movement, including Robert Bechtle, Charles Bell, John Baeder, and Arne Besser.
Primarily an American art movement, photorealism emerged in the late 1960s in reaction to Abstract Expressionism and as a counterpoint to Pop Art. With a style that prizes accuracy and precision, photorealism bases each work on a photograph. In exquisite detail, photorealist artists frequently recreated everyday scenes – largely Americana with motorcycles, roadside diners and gas stations – and often utilized the qualities of the camera lens: sharp focus and depth of field.
The snapshot aesthetic did not appeal to everyone. Photorealism was criticized for using cameras, projectors or grid systems to achieve exactitude. Yet today, the style is finding renewed interest, with viewers awed by the artists’ ability to create precise paintings that look like photographs.
“Embracing the qualities of the camera is the hallmark of this movement, and with intense concentration and painstaking detail, each photorealist artist developed their own style, independent of one another, yet all strikingly powerful,” said Robbin Zella, Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art.
The exhibition will be on view through December, 2021. An appointment to visit the museum will be necessary, and visitors must be prepared to comply with social distancing rules and wear protective face masks. A video essay about the exhibition is available by visiting the museum’s website, www.HousatonicMuseumorg. To plan a visit, please call 203-332-5052.
Housatonic Museum of Art is located on the Housatonic Community College campus, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. It is home to one of the premier college art collections in the country, spanning the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary, and is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility. The museum also hosts changing exhibitions in the Burt Chernow Galleries, and engaging lectures, workshops, films, special events and programs throughout the year, both in person and online. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
Caption For Photo Above: Market Diner, 31/250, 1979 by John Baeder. Screen-print on off-white Somerset wove paper.
Caption For Photo Right: Bridgehampton, 32/250, 1979 by Arne Besser. Screen-print on Somerset white satin paper.
Caption For Photo Right: New York Skyline, 31/250, 1980 by H.N. Han. Screen-print on Somerset white satin paper..
Caption For Photo Right: Night, Times Square, 32/250, 1979 by Noel Mahaffey. Screen-print on Somerset white satin paper.