Urban Landscapes No. 3

A major founder and force of the Photorealist movement, Richard Estes is best known for his paintings of urban scenes in New York. Compiling his compositions from multiple source photographs, Estes reconstructs reality in highly convincing renderings.
He often incorporates reflective surfaces, such as shop windows and shiny cars, yielding mirrored imagery that serves to enhance what the naked eye is capable of perceiving. In Double Self-Portrait (1976), for example, the artist and an entire street scene behind him are reflected in meticulous detail against the glass façade of a diner.