what is the basis of the argument that there is no such thing as “realistic” art ?

Answer 1

Tara that is an excellent question! The problem with claiming that art is realistic is just not simple. With every piece of artwork the artist has creative liberty to express feelings, emotions, and even their own style. To say a piece of artwork is realistic may be true in some regards (ex. hyper-realistic portraits) however depending on the artists creative leeway the piece may never fully represent reality.

I am a firm believer that there truly are no rules in art and therefore art may be realistic in the eyes of the artist or the audience. While a piece of artwork may be realistic to one we all have different perceptions of what it is. Art is so much more than just paint on a paper. At the end of the day what I consider to be art may be entirely different from what you do. The same can be applied to it being realistic. I hope my answer is able to help you out a bit!