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Glite Dictionary
🎨 Abstract art style 💬 Casual style
informalism

informalism

9.8
A modern art movement using free gestures and rough texture
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈfɔrməˌlɪzəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : informalismo
  • Through informalism, many artists express their emotions directly, focusing on texture and movement rather than adhering to traditional forms.

Examples

  • The artist's latest exhibit showcases informalism, with vibrant colors and spontaneous brushstrokes that celebrate freedom in creativity.

  • Critics praised the painting for its informalism, highlighting how the lack of rigid structure allowed the artist's feelings to shine through.

  • By this time, he had rejected informalism, rendering competition with any other such painters, American or otherwise, a lost cause.

    Academic text (2014)

Synonyms

Abstract Expressionism
vsinformalism
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A style of painting from 1940s New York using large, free, abstract shapes and emotional brush strokes

focuses more on texture and improvisation rather than formal structure
action painting
vsinformalism
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A style of abstract painting where the artist moves and applies paint in big, energetic movements

stresses texture and improvisation beyond mere energetic gesture

Antonyms

formalism
1 9.0

Strictly following rules and forms without room for change

Surface Forms

informalism singular
informalisms plural

Morphology

informalism = informal (semi-transparent) = in + formal + ism

Built from 'informal' + '-ism' so components are clear, but the use as the name of a specific art movement is a specialized extension and not fully predictable for learners.

Etymology

Informalism comes from informal ('not formal') and the ending -ism ('movement' or 'way of doing'), and form ('shape') is the opposite idea behind it. In art, informalism names a movement that leaves out strict form ('shape') and uses free gestures and rough surfaces, which is why it describes that style of painting.