pointillism

American  

[pwan-tl-iz-uhm, -tee-iz-, poin-tl-iz-] / ˈpwæn tlˌɪz əm, -tiˌɪz-, ˈpɔɪn tlˌɪz- /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. a theory and technique developed by the neo-impressionists, based on the principle that juxtaposed dots of pure color, as blue and yellow, are optically mixed into the resulting hue, as green, by the viewer.

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pointillism British  

/ -tiːˌɪzəm, ˈpwæntɪˌlɪzəm, ˈpɔɪn- /

noun

1. Also called: divisionism.  the technique of painting elaborated from impressionism, in which dots of unmixed colour are juxtaposed on a white ground so that from a distance they fuse in the viewer's eye into appropriate intermediate tones

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pointillist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of pointillism

1900–05; < French pointillisme, equivalent to pointill ( er ) to mark with points + -isme -ism

Explanation

The school of painting known as pointillism was a popular spin-off of Impressionism in the late 1800's. One well-known master of pointillism was Georges Seurat. This school of painters seems to have gotten a head start on the pixel by 100 years! Their technique of painting consists of tiny dots of pure color that, when viewed from a distance, coalesce to give an impression not too far off what actually hits the eye in nature. In French, the diminutive plural of point is pointilles, or tiny dots, and the verb pointiller means "to cover with small dots."

Example Sentences

The artist often uses steel wool as a paintbrush to create tiny dots of paint, in a contemporary spin on Pointillism.

From New York Times • May 15, 2023

Seurat is known for ushering in Pointillism, a branch of Impressionism that incorporated new scientific understanding of human perception.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2023

Mickalene Thomas started out as an abstract painter, inspired by Australian Aboriginal art and late-nineteenth-century French Pointillism.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 16, 2016

The sense of chic time-travel was further heightened with delicate dots and patterns on the fabrics - designs that evoked the French Impressionists and the technique of Pointillism associated with artists like Georges Seurat.

From Washington Times • Jul. 6, 2015

It seems to us only right to sum up our impartial opinion of Neo-Impressionism by saying that it has lacked cohesion, that Pointillism in particular has led painting into an aimless path.

From The French Impressionists (1860-1900) by Mauclair, Camille