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Denis-Peterson β Fashion Avenue
Published: 2008-01-04 18:20:20 +0000 UTC; Views: 7686; Favourites: 78; Downloads: 112
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Description
This piece was painted with traditional brushes as opposed to airbrush (although I had to resort to using an airbrush to emulate the airbrushed car image.)Rather than emphasizing hard edges and bright coloring, I used color perspective and depth of field to create a soft atmospheric appearance as the most natural and credible visual illusion of a cityscape. Reoccurring lighting and shading patterns, scattered movement of subjects, and duplicate color combinations helped further define spatial relationships within a condensed composition.
I have been working on several pieces in this genre, this is not the first to get completed - others are soon to follow.
Acrylics on canvas
36"x32"
Completed 2008
Details can be seen at [link] and [link]
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Comments: 174
ok, thanks...and I will then!
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wow Denis there isnt much detail here...haha...*joking*! you must have great vision to be able to paint such details. I my self have annoying floaters and "medium strength"red-green color weakness. oh well
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yeah I do too, you will pick up some offbeat color as you see my work!
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wow that's good to know I'm not alone!...and "I" don't think I can pick up on your off beat colors because of my color weakness! hahaha
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yeah, that's probably why you don't notice!!
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haha, yep!...id say that correct contrast and values are more important than perfect red and greens anyway!haha... anyway I don't think ANYONE would ever notice any of your color weakness in a painting.
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thanks, it came together nicely
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OMG no way! that looks like a photo! 
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Thanks very much!
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the detail crop of this is very nice and usefull. its really nice to see so m uch more from that than is visible here.
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these cityscapes are a bit of an enigma, whereby I need to introduce just enough detail and color to carry forward the illusion of distance without sacrificing the overall composition.
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i like them. they have potential. they are not quite as shocking as the tother series you were or still are doing. but yet there is something interesting about them. id really like to see one in the flesh just to see how much detail there was or isnt. my painting is nearly finnished, 2 more days work i recon, so thats good. im pleased with it so far. best so far, and its going straight in the summer show.! might up the price on this one maybe a bi as its twice the size, more work, and generally better, but i guess thats their decision.!
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Wow, honestly i've never seen anything as amazing as this, at first i thought it was a picture, and after 5 mins of looking at it, (even after reading the artist's comments) i still thought it was a picture...really..just wow
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In this case, the actual work is much more vibrant and life-like than the photo of it. I might try another picture of it with a different camera. In any event, thank you for your comment.
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This is absolutely incredible. So much meticulous attention to detail.
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Thanks, this cityscape series is unusual in that it requires taking into account detail that doesn't necessarily meld together compositionally, as in a face or clothing for example.
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Thanks, nice to hear that reaction to it, especially after moving away from more narrative and emotional pieces.
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You are very welcome 
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Dear Denis, I'm in awe. This is simply beautiful.
Amazing work.
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Thanks Marek, this one helped to set a direction for my new work, at least in the foreseeable future.
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I don't think there's anything you can't do.
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Thanks, but there are some hurdles that I have hit that almost left me flattened...
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The key word is ALMOST.
But if you've struggled with any art it doesn't show.
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For 16 days this has waited for me to really look at it. For 16 days I have waited to be able to really look at it while awake. Now that I've finally had the time, I'll just keep my mouth shut and listen to Byron again, except for a small, "wow." Thank you, Denis.
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My pleasure, and thanks Katherine, glad to hear you enjoyed it.
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Yet again, I am astounded by your compositional skills. I think, as a hyperrealist, it is a skill you must have a full command of, otherwise the realism would be flawed in a way that would break the illusion and I do think hyperrealism is an illusion.
It's extremely clever the way the composition is a repetition of shapes. Most notably this is seen in the top right corner where the building against the skyline, is a repetition of the main focal point (the corner of the building in the foreground), which is again repeated in the shape of the building receding into the distance along the street.
In fact - it's very much a painting of corners. Corners of structures, corners within the canvas's compositional elements and the corner of the street, which is delightfully highlighted by the juxtaposed signage on the buildings and on the lamp post.
I also love the fact that it is a painting crammed with visual play; the fact the car is crowbarred 'around' the corner towards the single word 'crash' is fantastic fun.
There is visual play in the colours too - the car poster feels modern and current, this is emphasized by the style of the car - yet below the line of the billboard hoarding the colours jump us back in time, to a faded era which is indicative (and reminds me), of the late 70's. The colour 'fun' here is that despite the fact that the car poster is practically monochromatic it feels more colourful, than the muddied and faded colours below it.
All in all, it's a remarkable painting, one of your strongest to date. There is so much more to this painting than what you might glean from a cursory glance of the modern plinthed on a foundation of what is past...
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I was looking forward to your commentary.
You have read this one with the same outlook as I had in creating it...amazing.
The repetitions in color and in format are indeed among the several decisions made that separate this from a mere duplication of a photograph. Another example is the triangulated shadow on the building to the right and the repetition of it throughout the frontal edifice beneath the sign. There were quite a few adjustments made to transform an otherwise complex assortment of ordinarily dull items into a visually stimulating amalgam.
The trick is to balance that with the need to create a convincing illusion of reality, despite the falsity of colors and even forms.
For example, in the original photos that I had taken in NYC, the crisscrossed shadows continue all the way over to the left side of the frame. Although admittedly, it was more a result of error than than genius, I "erased" the last section which I had already painted and substituted a section that effectively mimicked the sign itself as a repetition. In doing so, it was the last step need to totally balance a fairly complicated composition.
The more I do of these, the more convinced I am that composition (as you first pointed out) plays a pivotal role in the relative success of hyperrealism as a credible visual genre.
And for the intuitive and supportive commentary on my work, many thanks Bryon.
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You know me - I look forward to commenting on your work - I find it exciting visually, and you are such a master of composition which is something that I'm very interested in.
Looking forward to seeing your next offering, which judging from the speed you paint should be any day now.
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Amazing!
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Thanks! Color went a long way in achieving the right effect in this one.
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ah
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Thanks, and looking back at some of my recent work, it does share similar colors...
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yeah
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There is so much that could have gone wrong with this one. Yet none of it has. You continue to leave me in awe.
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Actually, there were plenty of errors in this one! (for example, just left of the the window above the subweay sign, I had been finishing the shading effects of the slats, when it all went wrong. I eventually had to paint over it and then created a graduated shading effect, which thankfully worked out much better, giving it more depth and balance.
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oh I give up!! you just freak me out Denis! you make my brain ache just looking at this...when I win the lottery I'm coming to see your stuff in person, and then I'm going to pinch you to see if you are made of flesh and blood.
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well, don't give up yet, the best is yet to come!
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well, the detail of the canvas looks soo fine and we would a detail of the detail .. howver it shoes that you must work really carefully with a lot of layers and small brushes ?.. I would like to see one in person
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yes thanks, there are a lot of layers, although in some cases not as many as when I airbrush... and I did work with small brushes throughout, except on the sign.
Perhaps you will see one at a show one day...
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yeah, that'd be great if I'd ever get to America
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After seeing your wonderful work, Apocalypse, done with water colors it doesn`t surprise the outcome of this new work done with traditional brushes⦠Masterfully done as always!
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Thanks Miguel! Using traditional brushes was a real challenge to my resolve, for sure. Looks like I will continue with them throughout this new series, at least for the time being. Moving away from figurative work in Apocalypse while staying within the same genre was an an interesting cathartic that opened the door to this particular motif.
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Superbly detailed and colored. I love the structure and dimension. Incredible realism.
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Thanks for taking the time to study it.
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you're killing me softly!!! lol!!! i can't decribe this!!! you're a wonderful artist!!!!! 
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Both actually...if you go to [link] and click on biography, it wraps up the background thing in a few short words...and thanks so much for the great support!!
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