How did the works of Chuck Close and other Photorealists redefine painting as a medium?

Photorealism, also known as superrealism, is a style of painting that began in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Artists working in this style sought to create paintings that were so lifelike, they could be mistaken for photographs. Chuck Close, an American artist, is one of the most famous practitioners of photorealism.

Chuck Close and other photorealists redefined painting as a medium in several ways. First, they pushed the boundaries of what was considered art by elevating everyday, mundane objects to the status of high art. By painting these objects in great detail, the photorealists made the viewer see them in a new way.

Second, the photorealists challenged the idea that a painting had to be a window onto the world. Instead, they made the viewer aware of the medium of painting itself. By showing the viewer the brushstrokes and other marks that make up a painting, the photorealists called attention to the fact that a painting is not a copy of reality, but a constructed object in its own right.

Finally, the photorealists redefined the relationship between painting and photography. Before photorealism, many people thought that photography had made painting obsolete. But the photorealists showed that painting could do things that photography could not, such as distort or manipulate reality, and that it was still a vital and relevant medium.