The Photorealistic Paintings of Chayim Shvarzblat

Originally from Lakewood, New Jersey, Chayim Shvarzblat paints landscapes and flowers with watercolors. During the period 1971 to 1975, he studied architecture at New York School of Art.

In 1979, Chayim graduated from this academy with a Bachelor of Arts in Painting.

A number of awards have been presented to Chayim Shvarzblat. In his paintings, he has depicted landscapes from many countries.

He is currently focused on creating photorealistic landscapes. In this article, you will learn more about the photorealistic artworks of Chayim Shvarzblat.

The Photorealistic Paintings of Chayim Shvarzblat

Chayim Shvarzblat's painting is multifaceted and many readings and meanings coexist in it. Despite this, it always revolves around the inexhaustible theme of reality.

In his painting, he reflects his entire experience of reality, positive and negative, general and personal. Shvarzblat's response to experience takes the form of a conceptual, painted image, such as his minimalist color panels or his gray-on-gray paintings, or an ironically romantic image, like his landscapes from the sixties and seventies, or expressive, as in his views of black, gray or white cities.

The Characteristics of Chayim Shvarzblat’s Photorealistic Paintings

In constant search and movement, Shvarzblat mixes restlessness, skepticism, doubt, melancholy, irony and happy moments embodied in creative objectives.

Photorealist paintings of Chayim Shvarzblat are characterized by meticulous attention to detail. The artist strives to reproduce every detail in the photograph. Airbrushing or hand-painting are usually used by Shvarzblat to complete the artworks. Colored pencils or watercolors are used to create smaller studies before moving onto larger paintings, which are impressive on their own. The artist experiments with composition, perspective, form, light, and shadow as a result of these smaller studies. By identifying and correcting any potential problems before creating a large, intensive artwork, Shvarzblat avoids lengthy delays.

How Chayim Shvarzblat Creates His Paintings

Chayim Shvarzblat creates his photorealistic paintings by mechanically transferring photos to the canvas after they have been selected. He uses a projector, the grid method, or transfer paper.

In order to recreate the details of the photograph in pigment, the artist must first transfer the photo to the work surface. By carefully observing and understanding the characteristics of the paint, this is accomplished. To achieve the desired effect, Shvarzblat has been providing studies on which colors and mediums to mix, what brushes to use, and how saturated the brush needs to be with water.

"Creating a painting requires balancing all of these elements - a process that requires patience and practice," says Shvarzblat.

The photorealist paintings of Shvarzblat are composed of many layers. In the process of developing the forms, he first applies the underpainting, then he develops the forms until they begin to resemble the image in the photograph. The majority of layers in photorealist paintings of Shvarblat are thin glazes, which are paints diluted with water or a medium. By doing so, subtle blending effects can be achieved on the canvas, resulting in the appearance of 3-dimensional objects and scenes on the flat surface.

"It requires a deep understanding of materials and processes to produce photorealistic paintings of such tight, technical precision," indicates Shvarzblat.

As a result, the painting of Shvarzblat has a smooth, clean finish, with no visible brushstrokes. Adding another layer of smoothness to the painting is the final layer of varnish.

Final Thoughts

As a self-taught artist, Chayim Shvarzblat is intimately familiar with the ups and downs, trials, and tribulations of creating photorealistic artwork. He has learned a lot along the way - especially from my mistakes - but most importantly from practice and persistence. Creating photorealistic paintings requires time, energy, concentration, and skills - but the rewards are immense!