Hyperrealists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Representatives of a movement in art and literature that emphasizes an exaggerated or highly detailed portrayal of reality
2. Creators who challenge conventional representations of reality by presenting a world that is seemingly more real than reality itself
3. Artists or writers who enhance typical perceptions through meticulous detail and heightened clarity to provoke deeper engagement with the subject matter

Etymology: The word is a plural, the form that names more than one representative of the movement, so the real story lies in its two parts. "Realist" comes from "real," which passed through Old French and Middle English from the Latin "reālis," meaning "relating to things," and the "-ist" ending, borrowed through Old French from Latin "-ista" and ultimately from Greek, marks a person who follows a doctrine or practice. English applied "realist" to artists and writers who paint or describe the world as it is, and it was that tradition that later invited exaggeration. The prefix "hyper-" comes from Ancient Greek "hupér," meaning "over" or "beyond." Put together, "hyperrealist" is a modern English coinage meaning someone who goes beyond realism, with the hyper- prefix turning a faithful depiction into an intensified one. The plural simply adds "-s" for each person in the group.