This Is Not A Photograph

It is a pencil drawing. Diego Fazio sure fooled me (and you too I bet).

I know, right? Now tell your friends!
This Is Not A Photograph
Donna Dickens

Diego Fazio is a 22 year old self-taught artist living in Italy. He began his career designing tattoos and perfected his photorealism technique over a period of several years.

In his home country, he won an award in 2011 for Best New Artist and has been gaining fame and accolades every since. With art like this, it’s easy to see why.

Thanks to Google for translating Diego’s Deviant Art biography.

3. Photos Of The Drawing As A Work In Progress

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    32 Responses So Far

    • cupcakesmmm thinks This Is Not A Photograph is OMG & Win  about a week ago
    • This Is Not A Photograph was rebuzzed by mtpy  about a week ago
    • abit   This Is Not A Photograph  about a week ago
    • sdee924 a month ago

      I’m obviously a little late on seeing this, since all the other comments have been posted about 5 month ago. But reading what half of what these people are saying about his work just blows my damn mind. I was finding myself getting so irritated I couldn’t even keep reading. Stop criticizing his work, and give the man some props like a decent person. I mean shit, half of you are babbling non stop about all your artistic knowledge yet your sitting on Buzzfeed…a site that had a march madness for animals, and a seemingly deep love for Ryan Gosling and Adam Levine. And yes, I realize I am one of those people who like to bullshit and pass time looking at the interesting/corky things they post, but not to try and belittle someone’s work. It’s pretty damn cool or it wouldn’t be on here. If you really feel so deeply about what “real art”, I’m sure you could find plenty of other sites, articles, books or museums that’ll meet your criteria of what “real art” is. I’m pretty sure he never claimed to be the next Picasso or whatever the fuck else..realize for a moment the article was written about him but another person, so don’t cut him and his talent down for what another wrote in their words about his work. And I don’t even want to read “everyone has a right to voice their opinion” because I very much am aware of that..but like I said this is Buzzfeed..not an institute of art, come on now. I totally give this guy the props he deserves. You’ve got badass talent my friend, keep doing what your doing because clearly your being noticed for a good reason. And once again for the hardcore art critics that apparently grace us here on Buzzfeed..if your opinion of true artwork is on such grand scale as to drop names like Picasso or whomever else, get off Buzzfeed and critique the artwork that is so up to par for you. I get art is very much a thing to critique, but last time Ill say this (promise) its fucking BUZZFEED!..even an art student in college which I’m sure has a great understanding of art and has seen maybe even more amazing things then this wrote a comment that gave him well deserved credit. Man, I hope if any of you have children you teach them to of course to have an opinion but still mantain a level of decency not to belittle others because something isn’t up to their standards..give credit where credits do, always.

    • sdee924   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s OMG & Win  about a month ago
    • spazzme   This Is Not A Photograph  about a month ago
    • Aliciamarie60   This Is Not A Photograph  about a month ago
    • ynic thinks This Is Not A Photograph is Cute & WTF  about a month ago
    • alicecarpenter   This Is Not A Photograph  about a month ago
    • marsbars1209   This Is Not A Photograph  about 2 months ago
    • Crazywolf   This Is Not A Photograph  about 2 months ago
    • anastasiacaprice   This Is Not A Photograph  about 2 months ago
    • kellysriddles thinks This Is Not A Photograph is OMG  about 2 months ago
    • anya3   This Is Not A Photograph  about 3 months ago
    • ShamekaM   This Is Not A Photograph  about 3 months ago
    • ptangamu   This Is Not A Photograph  about 3 months ago
    • patiencesimmons thinks This Is Not A Photograph is OMG, & Win  about 3 months ago
    • LenaSchaefer   This Is Not A Photograph  about 3 months ago
    • megman   This Is Not A Photograph  about 3 months ago
    • DiamondSkyye   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s Win & OMG  about 3 months ago
    • Vlaura0214   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s OMG & Win  about 3 months ago
    • Room187 thinks This Is Not A Photograph is Win  about 4 months ago
    • simone2045   This Is Not A Photograph  about 4 months ago
    • legibbo thinks This Is Not A Photograph is Win & OMG  about 4 months ago
    • Steph624   This Is Not A Photograph  about 4 months ago
    • djairrick thinks This Is Not A Photograph is OMG & Win  about 4 months ago
    • Steinbeck32   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s Win, WTF & OMG  about 4 months ago
    • patelp30   This Is Not A Photograph  about 4 months ago
    • appelture   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s Win, WTF & OMG  about 4 months ago
    • clairew12   This Is Not A Photograph  about 4 months ago
    • justineh4   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s OMG & Win  about 4 months ago
    • stonedcunt   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s WTF & OMG  about 4 months ago
    • Wolfie   This Is Not A Photograph  about 4 months ago
    • thebestwelk thinks This Is Not A Photograph is OMG  about 4 months ago
    • CarmenGee   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s OMG & Win  about 4 months ago
    • autumn darling   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s Win & OMG  about 4 months ago
    • Melinkc thinks This Is Not A Photograph is Win  about 4 months ago
    • nunnieissocool   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s OMG & Win  about 4 months ago
    • Asdfjesskl   This Is Not A Photograph  about 4 months ago
    • MMendoza801   This Is Not A Photograph  about 4 months ago
    • aaabcas   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s Win & OMG  about 4 months ago
    • melissap22 thinks This Is Not A Photograph is OMG  about 4 months ago
    • elizabethnotsatchp thinks This Is Not A Photograph is Win & OMG  about 4 months ago
    • denizm2   This Is Not A Photograph  about 5 months ago
    • SammieeB   This Is Not A Photograph  about 5 months ago
    • werenko   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s Win, OMG & LOL  about 5 months ago
    • Brittany S.   This Is Not A Photograph  about 5 months ago
    • amiekc   This Is Not A Photograph  about 5 months ago
    • juliejjuulliiee   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s Win & OMG  about 5 months ago
    • mxdxh thinks This Is Not A Photograph is OMG  about 5 months ago
    • KittyHatchet   This Is Not A Photograph  about 5 months ago
    • Yvilla363   This Is Not A Photograph  about 5 months ago
    • WanderingSoul   This Is Not A Photograph  about 5 months ago
    • Dowzer93x   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s OMG  about 5 months ago
    • erinkcorbett   This Is Not A Photograph and thinks it’s Win & OMG  about 5 months ago
    • anoushkam thinks This Is Not A Photograph is Win  about 5 months ago
    • hanaballout   This Is Not A Photograph  about 5 months ago
    • ashleel4   This Is Not A Photograph  about 5 months ago
    • blondette thinks This Is Not A Photograph is Win  about 5 months ago
    • Frank1964 5 months ago

      Could it be that the reason the finished product looks so flawless is because all we have is this low-res jpg? If you zoom in, you get pixellation before you see any evidence of a pencil. I’d like to see a high res image — so that you could see the pencil lines. Still, it’s pretty cool.

    • juliawyn added U Can't Touch This to the mix about 6 months ago
    • Ladyjenn925 6 months ago

      But who the fuck can do that tho! Like wtf he got skills!

    • rainbowcarrot added Barbie Girl to the mix about 6 months ago
    • evilnerd 6 months ago

      This is not Art people, this is just craftsmanship. Why copy a photograph? It makes no sense in an artistic way. Its just a reproductional skill that can be learned by anyone. Art is about creating something new, a concept an Idea. Not this boring stuff!

    • adamh28 added Gangnam Style (강남스타일) to the mix about 6 months ago
    • Yogev Avidar 7 months ago

      Without taking from his incredible rendering skills (and self-taught!), I do have to say it’s a technical feat more than anything. People are always tantalized by ‘photorealism’, however it possesses little artistic merit. Furthermore, copying from an image is limited and inherently faulted because your reference is 2D and not a live (read: 3D) model - Therefore the end product as well falls flat and appears 2D. It’s like Giotto taught us nothing. *1 Apparently neither did René Magritte. It is not realism, it’s an illusion of reality — in this case an illusion of an illusion of reality. *2
      -Artception? ‘Photorealism’ (doesn’t exist) will only take you so far (nowhere), career wise. You’re only hope is to choose a subject matter interesting, novel and relevant enough and so the fact that it is drawn or painted is a fun, cool added bonus. *3 Or just hire a model. As a footnote - It’s okay to criticize art. Post that shit online son and it’s inevitable.

    • michellea4 added Whoomp! (There It Is) to the mix about 7 months ago
    • cjm9 7 months ago

      I am actually a professional artist who works with pencil. While the two images showing the process are real, the difference between the top image and the bottom two is that you can still see the strokes in the bottom 2. I believe he did replicate this photo very well, I just wish he would show it at the top instead of the original photo.

    • Kee L. 7 months ago

      This is nothing but draftsmanship. Very skilled draftsmanship, sure, but it’s not art. Everything created by human hand is artifact, but not all artifact is art.

    • DerpMerp 7 months ago

      People talking shit about his artwork .__. seriously. He has talent acknowledge it and move on.

    • symphr added U Can't Touch This to the mix about 7 months ago
    • brookeelizabethmaes added We Are The Champions to the mix about 7 months ago
    • Jerry H. 7 months ago

      Why are people so impressed by photo-realisM? Jesus, we have cameras and laser printers and ….I mean, so what? The guy can simulate with a graphite stick. Nice technique. But what is he doing with it? Has anyone here even paid attention to the last hundred years of art?

    • kaworu876 7 months ago
       

      Not that this isn’t technically impressive in terms of detail and technique, but it’s not exactly… uh… saying much. And unfortunately because it’s such a perfect reproduction of a photo, it has little aesthetic value over a photo. Since this is such a painstaking process, it begs the question…. wouldn’t taking a photo be an easier way to achieve the same aesthetic effect? Comparing him to, say, an accomplished artist (Picsso, whatever) is just a joke. Picasso did unique and innovative things and created great Art - with a capital A. This fellow from Spain clearly has impeccable technique, which is great. But it does not equate to great art or thought-provoking art or viscerally moving art or emotional art or… etc. I might respond more favourably if the image shown weren’t in the Maxim Magazine photographic style of pseudo-softporn closeups of beautiful female faces. This piece of “art” isn’t saying much more than “SEE THIS CHICK IS REALLY HOT AND I CAN DRAW HER WITH PERFECT REALISM AND SEE I ADDED WATER SO I CAN SHOW YOU HOW GOOD I AM AT PHOTOREALISTIC TEXTURES SEE SEE”. More or less.

      wut
    • Andrew Gauthier added Take On Me to the mix about 7 months ago
    • SamMicCham 7 months ago

      how do i even

    • rhysingashes 7 months ago

      So amazing. Not a single area where you can tell its drawn…

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