The reaction to Yigal Ozeri's astonishing paintings, composed of thousands of tiny brushstrokes, has two elements to it. There's an immediate hit of 'holy shit, that's not a photograph' and then a sense of hollowness, of sadness - perhaps even existential unease, as you realise how a combination of paint can look just as alive and present as a real human being. Ozeri actually started out as an abstract painter with a preference for a figurative style of depiction. About 10 years ago he began his hyperrealistic work, painting portraits with an unbelievable level of verisimilitude which were born out of a sense of duty as an artist.

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