PORTLAND — “Master of urban reflection,”  says the recorded voice of well-known curator Patterson Sims, discribing the art of Richard Estes currently on exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art. 

Known for his photorealism style and focus on city subjects, Estes work resonates with magic as he captures reflections of glass windows, signs, cars, busses and scenes of busy city life.

Fifty paintings are in this retrospective exhibit of Richard Estes’ work, showing a comprehensive development of his style.  

Technology aids viewers of this exhibit, who may use their cell phones to access an interview with several interesting people associated with the exhibit. Even Richard Estes’ voice may be heard by dialing a listed telephone number near the painting and the number of the work. 

One can see the beginnings of Estes’ photorealistic style in the work “Automat,” an oil on board, created in 1966-1968  that offers an aerial view of four people having coffee at a table. This work is so precise it looks like an example of trompe l’oeil art, a painting style where art looks so realistic that it actually fools the  eye.

However, it is photorealism that Estes is known for. It is a style which he has made famous that includes reflections through glass as well as paintings which look as clear as photographs. These characteristics are the most significant aspects of his style and can be seen in later works like “The Candy Store,” an oil and acrylic on linen, created in 1969 and “Central Savings,” an oil on canvas created in 1975. These works are amazing because they appear more realistic than photographs.

In fact, Estes did use photographs to create works which he later painted in his studio. Yet, he moves objects in his paintings to improve the composition or capture and magnify a detail or perspective he felt important.

Two magnificent city scapes in the exhibit include “Times Square,” an oil on canvas created in 2004, and “Columbus Circle at Night,” an oil on canvas, created in 2010. They both have a special electricity that Estes creates in overlapping designs, and superimposed images. They also reflect his unique ability to create glass images that appear translucent from an opaque medium like oil paint. Other works that focus on seeing through images of glass that are remarkable and part of Estes’ style include: “Bridal Accessories,” an oil on canvas created in 1975, and the “Double Self-Portrait” an oil on canvas created in 1976.

It is however, his beautiful paintings of Maine that Estes is not known for, which  captured this reviewer.

A breathtaking work which you should not miss is titled “Water Taxi, Mount Desert,” an oil on canvas created in 1999. It depicts a boat off the coast of Maine, traveling between islands with a young girl and older woman seated inside. A covered translucent awning at the stern of the boat can be seen as the sun is falling. The wake of the water as the boat cuts through the ocean with its white caps is a poetic sight. This painting incorporates all the best characteristics of the artist’s style: great use of perspective, fantastic ability to create a translucent surface that covers the end of the boat for protection from the sun and wind, and the use of light falling on the people and objects inside the boat. For me this is the best painting in the exhibit, although I love his sophisticated city scapes.

Other Maine paintings of significance include “Acadia National Park, Interior,” an oil on canvas created in 2008; “Vinalhaven, Maine” an oil on canvas, created in 1997; “Forest Scene,” an oil on panel created in 2006, “Mt. Katahdin, Maine” an oil on canvas created in 2001; and “Beaver Pond, Acadia National Park,” an oil on board created in 2009.

Estes’ unique handling of perspective and precise interest in detail can be seen in paintings from his travels around the world in works like: “Tower Bridge London” an oil on canvas created in 1989; ”Paris Street Scene,” an oil on canvas created in 1972;“Accademia, Venice” an oil on canvas created in 1980; and “Antarctica” an oil on canvas created in 2007. Another unusual work is titled “Waverly Place,” an oil on canvas created in 1980, located in Greenwich Village, New York, showing a flatiron building, a unique triangular structure, which looks like the flatiron outside the PMA at Congress and Free streets in Portland. The architecture of the two flatiron buildings are the same, but the environments and locations are different. Estes’ unique use of perspective and focus on detail make this work outstanding.

Richard Estes was born in 1932 in Illinois and studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1952 to 1956. In 1959 he moved to New York City, where he now lives. He worked at that time in commercial publishing, advertising and illustration. In the mid-1960s he developed his own style of photorealism and became known for that style. He is famous internationally for his paintings of cities and the urban landscapes. He moved to Maine for summers in 1975, but it was not until 1990 that he started painting scenes from the Maine environment, which this exhibit is fortunate to be able to show to the public. Estes lives part of the year in New York and part of the year on Mount Desert Island.

The current Estes exhibit was jointly organized by the Portland Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Works were selected by Patterson Sims, an independent curator, and Jessica May, curator of contemporary and modern art at the Portland Museum of Art.

This Estes exhibit is worth several visits to Portland, because it includes  many of the artist’s major works, which are large, and in fact shows the best examples of his work. In addition, a handsome catalogue, with huge colored plates, is available at the museum gift shop, published by the Portland Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institute and distributed by Yale University Press.

A $5 special exhibition surcharge for the exhibit brings the total cost of admission for non-members to $17. Admission is free to PMA members.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Fridays 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Memorial Day through Columbus Day open Mondays 10 a.m. through 5 p.m.

A new and special evening program on the third Thursday of the month will begin at the PMA this summer. The PMA will be open Thursday evenings: June 19, July17 and Aug. 21. On Thursday evening June 19, a panel discussion hosted by Jessica May, PMA curator, concerning “Contemporary Art in Maine and Its Influence will take place.” On Thursday, July 17 Mark Bessire, director of PMA, will speak on “The Role of the Museum.” On Aug. 21 A social mixer will take place hosted by AIGA Maine.

General admission is  $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students with I.D.s $6. for youth ages 13 to 17, children under 12 free. Admission is free Friday evenings 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information call 207- 775-6148 or visit www.portlandmuseum .