Realism is the most mysterious style of art

Ten Concepts of Representational Realism

These are ten different, but related ways of understanding or measuring what it means to be ‘realistic.’ Can all of these be true? Can they be fit into a general theory of realism, or are they mutually inconsistent? Is realism ‘just a style’ or are some styles more realistic than others?

1. Depiction realism: All pictorial representations are realistic, in contrast to non-pictorial or linguistic kinds of representations. Pictures are realistic as pictures, vs. sentences, which represent but not pictorially. A picture represents how things are in the world by having a similar structure to the thing pictured. The general form of a picture is: “This is how things stand.”

2. Evolving realism: A picture which is realistic will only appear to be realistic when we acquire understanding of the object or state of affairs pictured by the representation. Realism depends on what you know as reality.

3. Content realism: Realism comes in degrees. In each image/style, one can distinguish parts of the picture which represent objective features of reality vs. elements which are part of the design. Some pictures are more realistic than others because they have a larger ratio of representational to design elements.

4. Lifelike (naturalistic) realism: An image is more realistic than another if it has features which reflect what it is like to encounter the object itself in ‘real life’. Realism distinguishes things which are actually real from what is unreal.

5. Hyperrealism (Uncanny realism): Images which, although representing objects or situations which are unexperienced in ordinary life, use features which make them seem real.

6. Illusionistic realism: A picture is realistic if it can be confused with what it is representing. The only kind of representation which is truly realistic which be a full-scale replica of the thing.

7. Information realism: A representation is realistic if it offers accurate information about the things it represents.

8. Relevance realism: A representation is realistic if it offers not only information that is accurate, but also relevant, relative to one’s cognitive interests.

9. Revelatory realism: A representation is realistic to the extent that it reveals a non-trivial aspect of reality.

10. Idolic realism: Something is realistic if it is taken as a vehicle for capturing truth. Realism is not a property of pictures, but of how the picture is taken by the spectator.