Loose painting vs. Tight painting (including realism)

Is there a rise of super-realism?

I've noticed that the prize winners of many recent art contests  are almost indistinguishable from photographs. Even the runners-up appear quite photographic.  It seems like both artists and collectors are attracted to works where they think they see evidence of skill and craftsmanship -- and this is too often defined as photorealism.

Strangely enough, I see a greater number of discussions about painting looser.  Many books will tell you that most watercolorist start out tight and loosen up over time. However, when I look at the number of "likes" on Facebook, it does appear that tight paintings receive more "likes" from other artists.

I'm not sure if there is a disconnect with what I see in discussion groups and overt signs of what is "popular".

It's unfortunate that too many new artists are sucked into trying to paint to match a style, and satisfaction is reached once the elements match a preconceived idiom regardless of the individuals thought or ideas. Art is not reached by becoming proficient in a style, it comes from being truthful to what you see.

Do we consciously paint tight or loose? many have different styles based on subject. Also some paintings look very realistic from a distance, but if you look at them more closely, they are actually quite "loose".

I don't think that one way is better than another.  We all have our own opinions on what we find visually pleasing and mentally stimulating, therefore, we will all have our own opinions on what we consider to be "art at it's highest level."

I think it would be a shame if the artistic community decided to snub one style as more worthy than another.

Today's artist find is Adam Juraszek

Have a great week,
Danielle