The Genre
Realism is one of the oldest forms of art - it is the art of creating a likeness that is not merely recognisable, but sometimes almost lifelike. Its a genre that takes a lot of time, is painstaking in its process and precision and doesn't allow for mistakes. Though there are different degrees of realism - from hyper-realism, to somewhat looser styles , the one thing that is a constant is the precision of form and proportion, the creation of an indisputable likeness.