I mean, you take one look at Greek statues and Roman busts and you realize that people figured how to aim for realism, at least when it came to the human body and faces, over 2000 years ago.
Yet, unlike sculpture, paintings and drawings remained, uh, “immature” for centuries afterwards (to my limited knowledge, it was the Italian Renaissance that started making realistic paintings). Why?
It’s true. Though not a complete answer, because realism lagged behind the tools needed for it. And it’s interesting how once one person can do it, suddenly everyone can do it. That says something shit is as a species. We can only do what we’re able to imagine? And as soon as we see someone do it, that barrier is gone?