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formalist

formalist

1 7.7
A person who cares most about how a painting or building is arranged rather than its meaning
  • noun
  • /ˈfɔːrməlɪst/
: formalista
  • Accordingly, this favors a strict formalist approach that sacrifices the efficiency gains from blending power in order to preserve liberty.
  • Russian formalist
  • formalist critic
  • formalist criticism

So I'm really sort of a formalist and I'm interested in the dramatic entryway of ideas.

Examples

  • In America, the New Critics were the most influential formalists, dominating literature departments from the 1940s through the 1960s.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Of course, the history of aesthetics is not made up solely of formalists.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Plot as such became suspect as a formalist concept.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Another way of putting this question is simply to ask: were the formalists correct?

    Academic text (2001)

  • That really is implicit in the Russian formalist viewpoint.

  • Against these bad habits, the Formalists opposed two sets of arguments.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The theoretical problems were already apparent in the Formalists' own usage.

    Academic text (2001)

  • As a formalist, he believed that the structure of a poem was just as important as its meaning.

  • The formalist emphasized the importance of adhering to specific rules in artistic expression.

  • In her critique, she identified several formalists who focused exclusively on style over substance.

Synonyms

literalist
vsformalist
3 8.1

A person who takes words only in their exact meaning and ignores other meanings

gives special importance to form and structure rather than literal wording
structuralist
vsformalist
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A person who studies how parts fit together in systems like language or culture

focuses on structure broadly in art law and literature rather than theory

Antonyms

freethinker
4 7.1

A person who forms their own views about religion and ideas using reason and facts

improviser
4 4.1

A person who makes or performs things without planning first

How Formal

formalist
1 7.7
pragmatist
16 6.9

Surface Forms

formalist singular
formalists plural

Morphology

formalist = formal (transparent) = formal + ist

The noun is directly formed by adding the agentive suffix '-ist' to 'formal', producing 'a person who follows or emphasizes form or rules'.

Etymology

The word formalist comes from formal, which comes from a root meaning 'form' or 'shape', plus the ending -ist meaning 'a person'. Think of a formalist as someone who loves the 'shape' and order of things, so in art they focus on structure and rules rather than the subject or feeling.