Dieter Roelstraete Reconsiders Photorealism as Emblematic 1970s 'Ism'

In an essay for Afterall Journal 24 (published May 14, 2010), Dieter Roelstraete argues that Photorealism, long marginalized by art history, should be reconsidered as a defining movement of the 1970s. He notes that the October team's Art Since 1900 (2004) omits Photorealism entirely, despite its inclusion in Harald Szeemann's landmark documenta 5 exhibition in 1972. Roelstraete links the movement's obsession with shiny, glassy surfaces to Fredric Jameson's concept of 'depthlessness' in postmodern architecture, exemplified by the Wells Fargo Center (1983). He draws parallels between Photorealist gleam and Impressionist steam as ciphers of economic transformation, referencing T.J. Clark's essay 'Modernism, Postmodernism, and Steam' (2002). Roelstraete positions Photorealism as North America's version of Socialist Realism, commenting on the shift from industrial to service work. He cites gallerist Louis K. Meisel's remark that Photorealists worked eight to ten hours daily, embodying a stable work ethic. The essay connects Photorealism to the realist tradition, from Gustave Courbet's late still-lifes of gleaming trout to Linda Nochlin's Realism (1971). Roelstraete suggests that contemporary artists like Alan Michael and Thomas Demand continue this legacy, and that crises breed realisms, hinting at a post-Photorealist realism for the coming decade.