verism

American  

[veer-iz-uhm, ver-] / ˈvɪər ɪz əm, ˈvɛr- /

noun

1. the theory that rigid representation of truth and reality is essential to art and literature, and therefore the ugly and vulgar must be included.

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verism British  

/ ˈvɪərɪzəm /

noun

1. extreme naturalism in art or literature

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Other Word Forms

• verist
  noun
• veristic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of verism

1890–95; < Latin vēr ( um ) truth + -ism; cf. verismo

Explanation

Verism is a style of art in which paintings and sculptures look as realistic as possible, warts and all. It also refers to realistic works of literature. Art experts mainly use the term verism for a specific style of ancient Roman art. Artists who created portraits and sculptured busts and statues during this time would keep the imperfections in their subjects' faces, including wrinkles, balding heads, and scars. As an artistic style, verism contrasts with idealism, a later style in which sculptors were more likely to represent their subjects as being younger or more handsome than in reality. Verism is from the Italian verismo and the Latin root verus, "true."

Related Words

• reality
• truth
• verisimilitude