Denis Peterson

            Denis Peterson is an American born artist who has had a role in shaping Hyperrealism. He was one of the first to emerge in the New York art scene. His work has been shown nationally in Los Angeles and New York, and also internationally in Paris and London. Peterson has received a MFA at Pratt.

            Peterson uses his artwork to express the human condition and the need for social change. Many of his paintings depict scenes from the city life and figures of homeless people. He touches on subjects such as cultural division and genocide. Peterson recreates photographs to simulate reality. He would use his own photos and paint them onto large canvases. His most recent series is a set of New York City billboards. These advertisements are shown high above people, emphasizing that they must hold up the weight of these billboards. The paintings each take about a month to finish and sell at about $46,000.

            Peterson’s artwork successfully conveys themes of commercialism and the cultural or financial divide in society today. He wants to use his artwork as a vehicle to change how we treat other people and how we can change society.