Articles
To my mind a realistic approach does not limit creative imagination, which I thoroughly agree is a part of all good art. There are those who take the stance that realism in art curtails the full expression of the individual that is merely imitation rather than creative expression. If realistic art were limited to the camera and the duplication of its effects, this might be true, but it must not be so limited.
During the early and mid 1960's, as America was experiencing military, political and social change the art community was itself undergoing a metamorphism. Starting in 1965, just as the abstract expressionism movement was dwindling in popularity, the art community sought to challenge and hopefully to displace the newer Modernism movement that was currently the trend in paintings, sculptures and other forms of media.
To do so, many of the practicing abstract artists revived the older Greek movement of Classical Realism. By applying an up-to-date twist on this classic Greek movement, artist like Peter Hunt (1908-1984) and Andrew Wyeth (1917- 2009) helped to establish what has become known as Contemporary Realism.