I know I’m not supposed to, but I’ve always had a thing for photorealism. Like a pop song you’d never admit you love, it’s easy to disparage, but hard to resist.

A style of art dismissed by some as outmoded and others as a market novelty, photorealism mimics the precision of photography. It works its magic in surprisingly mundane ways, originally relying on mechanical aids like grid transfers or projectors – and now including common digital tools – to render everyday subjects with uncanny accuracy and detail. At first glance, photorealist paintings can look indistinguishable from their photographic source material, which is partly their aim.

Photorealism nurtures attention and pays reverence to the overlooked.