California painter, Robert Bechtle (born in 1932, San Francisco), was part of the photorealist movement on the the West Coast. Bechtle used paint as texture in his paintings, and one can barely detect brushwork in his photo-like renditions. He took inspiration from his local San Francisco surroundings, painting neighborhoods, friends, family, and street scenes, paying special attention to automobiles. His paintings reveal his perspective on how things look to him, the color and the light of a commonplace scene. ~ Full Robert Bechtle bio

(click on thumbnail below for larger image) Covered Car - High Street   20th and Mississippi - Night   20th Street VW   Covered Car - Missouri Street