Originals in this selection, Photorealism, 2,000 to 5,000 euro.
Work with a loupe and patience
Photorealist painting records so exactly that from two yards away you think of a photograph, and only up close do the brush marks appear. Photorealist paintings for sale between 2,000 and 5,000 euro are best judged by their depth of detail and by the surface.
A single passage can take weeks: a grid or projection helps with transferring, then glaze follows glaze until highlights, reflections and skin pores read right. The surface is usually smooth, because any visible brush mark would break the illusion. Standing in front of it for a while, you spot reflections in eyes, drops on glass or wood grain, all set with a brush.
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Hanging and lighting
Since the effect lives on detail, the picture needs glare-free light. Reflections on varnish otherwise take away sharpness. A spot beside a window, with directed light from above, works well.
What to look for
Ask for close-ups if you want to judge the fine drawing, and check whether the painter used canvas, wood or aluminum. The dimensions show how much detail will really be readable. Format matters too: large canvases show more individual detail, smaller ones compress it into a few inches.