Japanese Artist Creates Photorealistic Oil Paintings of Japanese Women

Yasutomo Oka is such an incredible artist that his photorealistic oil paintings alone, even his black and white sketches look like black and white photographs! Such is his mastery over hyperrealism that it is difficult to distinguish his paintings from photographs.

Oka hails from Komaki in Aichi prefecture, Japan. He graduated from Tama Art University in Tokyo, Japan. He got hooked on portraiture and mastered the art of hyperrealism. His subjects are primarily Japanese women either wearing traditional kimonos and floral hair ornaments or casual clothing in a home setting. In each of his works, his eye for detail is evident, whether it is painting a patch of skin, a piece of fabric, or a lock of hair. Little wonder his works appear so convincingly real.

This 34-year-old Japanese painter is an expert at painting photorealistic portraits of Japanese women and adept at capturing their moods beautifully, just like a camera. He uses a real model and paints every detail with incredible precision. Although he uses models as his subjects, it is merely a starting point from which he digresses to alter the image to make it his own, thereby capturing the beauty and allure of the Japanese women.

Oka’s medium is oil painting and his intricate work requires a major time investment. So, it is not surprising to see him paint for weeks and months to complete just one painting! A case in point is the portrait of the Japanese woman in a cream-colored kimono that took him all 20 days to complete.

This time consumption is justified looking at how Oka goes about his work…blending smooth body contours with detailed work on hair, eyes, and eyelashes to make them realistic. Add to this his extraordinary color sense and his keen sense of light and shade that infuses realism in all his paintings. He strives to make each of his works as realistic as possible and the result is almost always awe-inspiring.

Oka’s works can be seen on various websites and on his Instagram page, where his works make their presence felt.