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The gorgeous portraits of these Japanese women aren’t photos or CG, so what are they?

Casey Baseel Mar 13, 2018
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Artist Yasutomo Oka’s mind-blowing work needs no computer trickery.

Looking at these exquisite portraits from Yasutomo Oka, you might think that the 34-year-old Aichi Prefecture resident is a talented photographer. The truth is, though, that none of the young women’s images seen here were captured with a camera.

Your next guess might be that they’re CG. After all, rapidly advancing technology has become very convincing, like with virtual schoolgirl Saya. But that’s not the case either, and, if you find yourself guessing that they might be love dolls (or chicken wing-selling dolls, depending on their owner’s choice of application), that hunch would also be incorrect.

That’s because Oka is a painter, and these amazingly lifelike portraits are all actually oil paintings.

油絵で、主に人物画を描いております。
写真ではなくて絵画ですよ～😆
よろしくお願いいたします。
#私の作品もっと沢山の人に広がれ祭り pic.twitter.com/B7isLLn8FT

— 岡靖知（画家） (@yasutomooka) March 8, 2018

「花浅葱」F6（410×318mm）油彩　２０１６（売約済）
朝起きて、あくびが３回連続ででたら「今日は休め」のサインです🙂
今日は個展後のライフワークにしてる、まったくお金にならないコラム書きます。 pic.twitter.com/qD45tR2Kl4

— 岡靖知（画家） (@yasutomooka) February 11, 2018

While Oka says there are real-life models for the women he paints, their actual appearance is merely the starting point from which he makes alterations to arrive at the image he wants to create.

２０１４年作の油彩作品　F4号（個人蔵）
花粉に負けず今日も一日がんばります！！ pic.twitter.com/3ELhCHrpud

— 岡靖知（画家） (@yasutomooka) March 6, 2018

Not surprisingly, creating such intricate artwork is a major time investment. The portrait of the woman in the cream-colored kimono that appears at the top of this article, for example, took about 20 days to complete, Oka estimates.

「黄昏の庭」F10号　油彩　２０１５年　個人蔵
珍しい横長の作品で「第一回　自選新作展」のDMにも使った出品作品でした。
筆でニットのモフモフ感にを出すに苦労した思い出があります。 pic.twitter.com/Yxsaizfr3M

— 岡靖知（画家） (@yasutomooka) March 5, 2018

「BrownHair」F4号　油彩　２０１６作　個人蔵
グリフィンドールにいそう。

２月は個展でバタバタして一枚も絵が完成しませんでしたが、良いものが出来そうな予感がしてます😫 pic.twitter.com/YOqg3ucF1y

— 岡靖知（画家） (@yasutomooka) March 1, 2018

Along with his ability to blend smooth body counters with stiff hair and eyelash detail, part of what makes Oka’s artwork so realistic is his use of color, as even the eyes he paints are shown reflecting the in-painting light.

https://twitter.com/yasutomooka/status/965356453937557504

「白百合の麗人」額バージョン
このデザイン額が一番のお気に入りだったのですが廃盤になってしまいました、トホホ、、😫
額は見栄えももちろんの事、紫外線からくる変色や粉塵防止の意味でも着けたいところ。
ただ結構お高いんで、まだ値段の安い作家は無くても仕方がないかと思います。 pic.twitter.com/NuYjVIR4We

— 岡靖知（画家） (@yasutomooka) February 14, 2018

「黒衣の少女」F4号　（個展にでません）
なぜ一年でもっとも寒い時期を個展の会期に選んでしまったのか今となっては謎です（ﾟ ρ ﾟ ) pic.twitter.com/BiCbsK0ttu

— 岡靖知（画家） (@yasutomooka) January 28, 2018

That’s not to say Oka has to use color to impress, though, or even brushes. His pencil sketches are also incredible, if not quite as likely to fool people into thinking they’re looking at an actual person.

鉛筆画の作品も描いております。
モノクロ写真じゃないですよ～😆
よろしくお願いいたします。 #私の作品もっと沢山の人に広がれ祭り pic.twitter.com/oCNgLav23W

— 岡靖知（画家） (@yasutomooka) March 10, 2018

Unfortunately, Oka’s most recent gallery exhibition, which took place at Site Aoyama in Tokyo, wrapped up in February. However, if you’d like to see his work in-person, either to admire it close-up or to convince yourself that it’s really not a photo, the artist posts information on upcoming exhibitions on his website here.

Related: Yasutomo Oka website
Source, images: Twitter/@yasutomooka