New York-based Israeli painter Yigal Ozeri is a master of photorealism. For over 25 years the talented painter has developed his work, pushing the boundaries of photorealistic painting. Ozeri is known for his large-scale oil paintings of beautiful women set in vast expanses of nature. Sun-drenched, their ethereal beauty shines through the artist's portraits.
Each artwork begins with a photograph taken by Ozeri of a regular girl, as he rejects the idea of using models as examples of perfection. Cloaked in nature, the women take on an air of romanticism reminiscent of Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Ozeri's skillful hand details each strand of hair blowing in the wind and highlights the light and shadow cast upon the women.
And while Ozeri is known as a master of photorealism, he isn't a big fan of the title. “I see myself as a figurative artist”, the diligent painter shares. “In general, I don’t feel comfortable with labeling and with my present grouping as a photorealist artist, even though I see myself as part of this genre. I feel that my contribution to art history are my works on paper.”
The artist's title as a master of photorealistic painting won't be going anywhere soon, though. His work is featured on the cover of Louis Meisel's Photorealism in the Digital Age, something he counts among his proudest achievements as an artist.
But where did his love of nature, an element infused throughout his work, come from? It's something that has been with him since childhood, when his family discovered his artistic aptitude. Though his family has no connection to the art world, his father would take him into nature from the age of 10 to paint what he saw. A look at his body of work clearly reveals the lasting effect these experiences left on the photorealist artist.
In 2016, a documentary about this master of photorealism was released.
Yigal Ozeri: Website | Facebook
h/t: [Design You Trust]
