Artist Adds Hyperrealistic Paintings on Spherical Canvases

Spherical Acrylic Paintings by Daisuke Samejima

Unlike sculpture, traditional paintings usually capture one view of a subject. Tokyo-based artist Daisuke Samejima, however, applies his talent for hyperrealism to an unconventional canvas. In his Flatball series, he captures peaceful Japanese suburbia on three-dimensional globes. As a result, viewers can literally hold the immersive scene in their hands.

Due to the spherical shape of these depictions, they capture a 36o° view of each place. So, as the viewer turns the painting over in their hand, they will see different houses, streets, and other landmarks—similar to the images you would see in Google Street View. There are no visible people in any of these portrayals, making it easier to imagine yourself in these photorealistic environments.

Despite the challenges of working on a round surface, Samejima is able to maintain an amazingly high level of detail in his works. The renderings are so precise in fact, it is hard to tell at first that it is made with paint and a brush, and not simply a printed fisheye view of these neighborhoods. Regardless of how you turn the canvas, the perspective is always accurate, making Samejima's talents all the more impressive to behold.

Scroll down to see the artist's amazing work. To see even more work-in-progress shots (and videos) of Samejima's Flatball paintings, you can follow the artist on Instagram and Twitter.