photorealism
|pho-to-re-al-ism|
🇺🇸
/ˌfoʊtəˈrɪəlɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˌfəʊtəˈrɪəlɪzəm/
art or images that look like photographs
Etymology
'photorealism' originates from Modern English, formed from the prefix 'photo-' (from Greek 'phōtós' meaning 'light' or 'image produced by light') plus 'realism' (from French 'réalisme', meaning 'the quality or practice of representing things as they are').
'photo-' derives from Greek 'phōtós' (φωτός), while 'realism' comes via French 'réalisme' (19th century) from Latin-based roots meaning 'real'. The compound English word 'photorealism' was coined in the late 1960s to name a painting movement that used photographs as the basis for realistic depictions.
Initially it referred specifically to a late-20th-century painting movement; over time its use broadened to describe the general quality or technique of producing images that closely resemble photographs (including photography, digital art, and computer rendering).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an art movement and style of painting and other visual arts, originating in the late 1960s, in which artists create highly detailed works that closely resemble photographs.
Photorealism emerged in the late 1960s as painters began to use photographs as primary references for highly detailed paintings.
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Noun 2
the quality or technique of producing images (including photographs, digital images, or rendered graphics) that are nearly indistinguishable from real-life photographs.
Modern game engines aim for photorealism to render lifelike characters and environments.
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Last updated: 2025/12/03 02:09