Tõnis Vint, “Hyperrealism and the Man-made Environment,” translated from Estonian by Kristopher Rikken, originally published as “Hüperrealism ja tehiskeskkond,” in Kunst, 2 (1974): 31

Tonis Vint is a graphic artist and designer, who became one of the key figures of the young art scene in Estonia from late 1960s onwards. His short text, which demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of American art in the Soviet Union, was the first article published in Estonian about the Hyperrealism that was becoming increasingly popular among young painters in the Soviet Union in the mid-1970s. Many of the artists use photographs as their source material. The works of the Hyperrealists are large in scale and their technical execution can evoke awe. One of the best-known Hyperrealists, Paul Sarkisian, says: “When the picture is completed and on an equal footing with myself, the painting aspect vanishes. It is not a painting anymore, it is reality”. Some theoreticians have tried to compare Hyperrealism to Surrealism, with reference to Andre Breton and his “illumination of hidden places,” his “perpetual walk in a forbidden zone”.