Bus with Reflection of the Flatiron Building 1967

Richard Estes created this urban scene using oil on canvas, though it almost looks like a photograph. This is a style called Photorealism, and it emerged in the United States in the late 1960s and early 70s. Artists of this movement made paintings and sculptures that resembled photographs. What's interesting is that this was at a time when photography was becoming increasingly popular as an art form in its own right. Photorealists used photographs as source material, meticulously recreating them with paint. Estes, here, focuses on the fleeting reflections of urban life. Born in 1932, he witnessed the rise of consumer culture and urban expansion in America after World War II. His paintings often depict the glass and steel structures of modern cities, along with the cars and buses that filled city streets. He invites us to reflect on the social and economic forces shaping the American urban landscape. To understand this work better, we might consider the place of the photograph in the art world. Social and institutional contexts help us to interpret an artwork like this.