Apart from the ancient Greco-Roman world, there doesn’t seem to be many artistic traditions with a strong history of realism. For a long period, it seems like almost all art depicting people or things is allegorical at best, not designed to depict life as it is seen day to day. Yet clearly this has little to do with talent. I understand that there might be religious or cultural reasons for preferring more abstract depictions, but wouldn’t there be a market for people who wanted to see realistic art? For example, families wanting portraits of their loved ones. I am aware of the mummy portraits of Egypt, but to my knowledge, even those do not predate the Greek/Roman tradition of realism that they presumably would have been influenced by.
Art styles change. Realistic depictions wax and wane in popularity.^1 More can always be said on the matter, but this section of the FAQ is most appropriate, specifically the 'Medieval Art' subsection, as the posts there examine other factors that certain cultures prefer over sheer photorealism. Indeed, you may ask yourself: Why do you prize photorealism so much?
1 - Look at Guernica and you may yourself be moved to ask, "Has Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz Picasso ever seen anything in his life?"