“Külm pilk. Hüperrealism Eesti kunstis” (“Cold Gaze. Hyperrealism in Estonian Art”)

The book accompanies the exhibition “Külm pilk. Hüperrealismi variatsioonid Eesti kunstis” (“Cold Gaze. Variations of Hyperrealism in Estonian Art”) at the Kumu Art Museum (13.05.–09.10.2016). The goal of the exhibition and the book is not to comment on the international context of photorealistic art, but rather to explore Estonian hyperrealism as an independent phenomenon based on local circumstances and spatial experiences. In the mid-1970s, paintings in an extremely realistic style began to appear at Estonian youth exhibitions, but there was something different about them. The style, which quickly found its proper name – hyperrealism – spread rapidly among young artists and almost gained school-like significance. The imitation of the two-dimensional representation technique borrowed from photographic art and a new selection of motifs offered a different experience of seeing and looking at our realism-focused painting. It was outwardly precise and representational, but internally rejected true reality, instead using mediated and processed information, unexpectedly mundane, somewhat bleak, and romantically distanced from the artist’s position.

Published by: Art Museum of Estonia – Kumu Art Museum
Author: Anu Allas
Designer: Külli Kaats
Pages: 96
Language: Estonian, English
Year of publication: 2016
ISBN: 978-9949-485-53-6

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