When it comes to realism in the art world, haters abound. While I personally love realism because of the technical skill involved (and because I work in a realistic style myself and am completely and utterly biased), plenty of people have not-so-nice things to say about the technique.
Luckily for you, haters, artist Stefan Bleekrode is here to change the way you think about this meticulous method. The skilled realist works from memory to recreate (and sometimes reimagine) the most stunning cities in the world.
“The city fascinates me,” Bleekrode writes, “to such a degree that I feel like spending hours, days, weeks, and sometimes months recreating my impressions of the great cities I’ve visited.”
Berne
Parisien Boulevard at Night
What’s most incredible about his Cityscapes collection is that he visits these stunning places and then draws his favorite areas from memory. He makes it his mission to recreate every single detail to portray the cities in their truest forms.
City in Tuscany
Plaza Mayor
In the artist’s words, “Nothing is left out, and I can reproduce the same sensation I had when walking through the places long after I’ve left.”
Paris Evening
Centro Storico
While he admits that true blocks are remedied by photographic sources, Bleekrode avoids looking at references unless he’s completely at a loss. Amazingly enough, that’s extremely rare.
Greenwich Sunset
Bucharest
As he makes his way around the world, he keeps his eyes peeled for new cities to immortalize.
(via BoredPanda)
Say what you want about realism, but there’s something pretty incredible about Stefan Bleekrode’s ability to transform images from his mind’s eye into true-to-life drawings. What he’s creating isn’t just a realistic image. It’s an experience that can transport you just about anywhere.
To see more of Bleekrode’s work, be sure to check out his website.