“Wet Hair 2”
Of the many subjects that an artist can paint, water is one of the most challenging. The liquid has a way of fracturing light and distorting anything submerged within it—especially people. This can make it hard to accurately depict anything in the water, but not for artist Johannes Wessmark. He’s a master at painting people floating in the water. His series of photorealistic paintings showcase his subjects looking completely at ease in pools as the dappled light illuminates not only their bodies but also the pools themselves.
When viewing one of Wessmark’s pieces, you might think you’re looking at a photograph. His work is technically flawless. His paintings include all of the details that you don’t think about when looking at someone underwater or who has wet hair, but the addition of Wessmark’s painted features is what makes each piece look so realistic. One of the best examples of this is in Wet Hair 2. Thanks to the highlighting, you get a sense of the weight of the hair pressed against the woman’s head.
Wessmark has had a special interest in depicting water over his decades-long career as a creative. “It has been one of my favorite subject matters for many years,” he tells My Modern Met. “When I started painting women it came quite naturally to put them in water. I love both the beauty of the female form and the challenge of painting moving and reflecting water. This has become more or less my signum even if I have painted many other subject matters through my 30 years as a professional artist.”
If you’d like to own one of Wessmark’s paintings as a high-quality print, be sure to check out his Inprnt shop to see what’s available.
Artist Johannes Wessmark creates photorealistic paintings of people in pools.
“Wet Hair”
“Azur Blue”
“Submerged”
“Wet Lace”
“Weightless”