As modern art evolved in the 1970s, a new mode of expression appeared on the New York art scene: super-realism, also known as photorealism. Super-realism is a form of painting even more accurate than realism, as objective as photography. Its subject matter arises from the many aspects of urban life – the glass of city buildings, shop fronts, street scenes and densely juxtaposed, complex changes in light and shadow. In order to preserve the spirit of objectivity, painters often use a camera to capture the images they wish to depict, and develop them as either slide or print. They then project the image onto their canvases, employing finely honed realistic painting techniques to achieve the lifelike visual effect of a photograph.

Super-realism is a reaction against both traditional realism and purely subjective abstract art. Specifically, it is the reproduction of images in new, objective form. Artists see the world through magnifying glasses and, to the greatest possible extent, offer a purely objective and realistic depiction. This special thematic exhibition attempts to extend the spirit of super-realism, featuring several ethnic Chinese artists who have lived and worked in New York, including Hsia Yan, C.J. Yao, Han Hsiang-ning, Hilo Chen, Szeto Keung and Y.J. Cho, as well as Taiwan-based artists of different generations who have tirelessly demonstrated the essence of super-realistic painting, including Huang Ming Chang, Tzu-Chi Yeh, Ku Ho-Chung, Kuo Chwen, Chu-Hsin Lee, Chou Chu Wang, and Huang Chia-Ning.

*image (left)
Chwen Kuo
Art Museum Conquered (Sea Horse), 1995
Oil on Canvas, 70x125.5cm
courtesy of the artist and Taipei Fine Art Museum