Three exhibits at the Rose Art Museum premiering this summer will explore the modernity of realistic representation. "Double Take: Photorealism from the 1960s and '70s" and "Xavier Veilhan: The Photorealist Project" portray the practice of replicating pictures from a camera on canvas. The video "Anri Sala: Dammi i Colori" captures a citywide urban art project in Tirana, Albania. Installed on the first and second floors of the museum, "Double Take" contains works from the photorealism movement, during which artists created paintings similar to photographs. Following the abstract expressionist era, photorealism first emerged in the mid-century and marked the return of realistic depiction in painting. Sweeping strokes and contrasting color were replaced with detailed line and tonal schemes under photorealism.

The pieces in "Double Take" range from the shockingly lifelike "Family Portrait" by Audrey Flack and "Cabbages" by Ben Schonzeit to a looser realism best seen through the brushlike quality of Don Eddy's "Lunch Room." The majority of the works on the second floor portray ordinary scenes of middle-class American life in the 1960s and '70s, best seen in Ralph Going's "Bank of America" and "Griddle Inn."

David Parrish's overly sharp reflections in the motorcycle windows of "Yamaha" do not assist the painting in faithfully imitating a real photograph. The boldness of the colors and abstraction of the enhanced detail, however, still create a sublime experience for the viewer.

An introduction to the concepts and styling of photorealism in "Double Take" proved a helpful transition into the more complex ideas found in the "Photorealist Project," where the viewer first traverses the tall, massive black box that dominates the entire Lois Foster Wing. By the time one enters the structure, anticipation reaches abnormal heights for viewing what technically should be considered just another piece of art.

Yet the "Photorealist Project" is not just a work of art; it is an experience. The pitch-black passageways of the chamber invoke an unexpected and eerie unease. The corridor gives way to a central space, periodically illuminated by low-level ground lights. Paintings hang scattered across the space. The lighting morphs the obviously bright colors of the works into haunting tones exuding an otherworldly mysticism.

The paintings portray cityscapes and familial scenes, giving the viewer the experience of walking through the chambers of human memory. The lights cause these images to reflect over the entire structure, furthering the surreal experience of the work. Being engulfed by the surreal space of the exhibit produces a sensation that can never be fully be appreciated from reading about a work on paper.

"Anri Sala: Dammi i Colori," in the Mildred S. Lee Gallery, is the only exhibition among the three where artistic merit is questionable. The video tells the story of artist and Tirana mayor Edi Rama, who sought to revitalize the impoverished Albanian capital by painting dreary buildings with cheerful colors.

His idealism echoes in the choice of bright, primary tones painted on the buildings. Sala's dialogue and cinematography depict the story in a poignant manner, but the film is more of a documentary about art than a piece of art itself. The movie raised the question of whether museums are not just responsible for displaying art, but portraying the history of the art as well.

While the subject and ideas presented in the Rose's summer shows feel straightforward, the artistic complexity of these works deserves admiration.