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Glite Dictionary
🎨 Artistic, not realistic 🧑‍🎨 Art-focused artist
pictorialist

pictorialist

9.7
A person who makes photographs or paintings that show mood rather than sharp detail
  • noun
  • /pɪkˈtɔːriəlɪst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pictorialista
  • Many famous photographers identify as pictorialists because they prioritize artistic expression over strict realism.
  • Pictorialists of Milwaukee
  • Photo Pictorialists
  • Bihar Pictorialists

Examples

  • She became a renowned pictorialist after exhibiting her photographs that emphasized mood and artistic composition.

  • The pictorialists continued to practice a style of photography that claimed legitimacy by appropriating painterly effects.

    Academic text (2004)

  • I refer to myself as a pictorialist, as I don't limit myself in the process.

    Blog text (10)

  • The main movement during those years was "pictorialist" photography, which was totally alien to what Lewis Hine was about: social documentary photography.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Wildflowers provide delightful subjects for nature photographers and pictorialists alike.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Mr. Bodine is regarded as one of the finest pictorialists of the twentieth century for his images of the Chesapeake Bay country.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The exhibition featured works by several pictorialists, showcasing their unique styles and interpretations of nature.

Synonyms

stylist
vspictorialist
  • Literature
4 4.9

An artist or writer known for a special way of creating

prioritizes artistic style specifically to move away from literal representation
expressionist
vspictorialist
  • Specialized
4 7.8

A person who makes art that shows strong feelings instead of how things really look

focuses on artistic style rather than emotional expression
antirealist
vspictorialist
8.8

A person who prefers art that does not try to show real life

is specific about emphasizing artistic style over literal depiction
aestheticist
vspictorialist
  • Literature
8.3

A person who thinks art and beauty are important for their own sake

focuses on artistic style rather than valuing beauty for its own sake

How Pictorial

illustrator
39 3.2
pictorialist
  • Specialized
9.7

Surface Forms

pictorialist singular
pictorialists plural

Morphology

pictorialist = pictorial (transparent) = picture + ial + ist

Built by adding -ist to the adjective 'pictorial' (picture + -al) to form an agent noun; the meaning 'a person who practices pictorialism' follows standard derivational patterns.

Etymology

Pictorialist comes from picture plus the ending -ist meaning 'one who'. So a pictorialist is a person who treats photos like paintings, changing tone and mood to make an artistic effect instead of showing exact reality.