Janet Bishop, curator, painting and sculpture, SFMOMA
Known as a founding photorealist, Robert Bechtle paints quiet, evocative images of everyday life. In 1965, Bechtle began to use snapshot-like photographs of his Bay Area surroundings as part of his painting practice. He has spent the intervening years painting ordinary middle-class culture not just as it appears in photos, but as it is experienced. Bishop discusses Bechtle’s distinctive vision and his career over the last 40 years.