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• plein air
  plein air

  noun

  the open air, especially the daylight of outdoors.
• plein-air
  plein-air

  adjective

  pertaining to a manner or style of painting developed chiefly in France in the mid-19th century, characterized by the representation of the luminous effects of natural light and atmosphere as contrasted with the artificial light and absence of the sense of air or atmosphere associated with paintings produced in the studio.

plein air

¹ American  

[pleyn air, ple ner] / ˈpleɪn ˈɛər, plɛ ˈnɛr /

noun

1. the open air, especially the daylight of outdoors.

2. Fine Arts. the quality of light and atmosphere out of doors, especially this quality as rendered in painting.

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plein-air ² American  

[pleyn-air, ple-ner] / ˌpleɪnˈɛər, plɛˈnɛr /

adjective

1. pertaining to a manner or style of painting developed chiefly in France in the mid-19th century, characterized by the representation of the luminous effects of natural light and atmosphere as contrasted with the artificial light and absence of the sense of air or atmosphere associated with paintings produced in the studio.

2. designating a painting executed out of doors and representing a direct response to the scene or subject in front of the artist.

3. (of a painting) having the qualities of air and natural light.

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plein-air British  

/ ˌpleɪnˈɛərɪst, plɛnɛr, ˌpleɪnˈɛə /

adjective

1. of or in the manner of various French 19th-century schools of painting, esp impressionism, concerned with the observation of light and atmosphere effects outdoors

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Other Word Forms

• plein-airism
  noun
• plein-airist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of plein air¹

1890–95; < French: literally, full air

Origin of plein-air²

First recorded in 1890–95; adj. use of plein air

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plein air plein-air

The result was 37 paintings begun from the motif en plein air, some worked on later in the studio at Giverny.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2025

He began painting en plein air — outside — when he was a child and one of his art teachers took him and other students out of class to paint.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2025

The invention of tubes of paint, as well as faster drying paint and collapsible easels, allowed artists to explore faster, more spontaneous ways of painting, often outdoors 'en plein air'.

From BBC ● May 23, 2023

“The community of plein air artists has really grown, especially with lockdown and people finding new hobbies,” Kroner says.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2021

Beowulf had knitted a carrying case with a strap, perfect for those times when one gets the urge to paint en plein air and needs to carry one’s portable easel, paints, and brushes outdoors.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Constable’s oil sketches, most unintended for public consumption, could be just as large and daring, and were prized for their extraordinarily loose paint-handling, transient atmospheric effects and true-to-nature palettes, the fruit of his plein-air practice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

At the summit of a steep incline in Elysian Heights, past an unassuming gate, down a slightly dangerous walkway, you’ll find a concrete landing that serves as the plein-air home studio of Gajin Fujita.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2023

At Alexandre, Lois Dodd, 94, showed 50 years of plein-air paintings — mainly trees, flowers and buildings — whose combination of unpretentious, even awkward paint handling and descriptive accuracy is never less than fresh.

From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2021

Customers who purchase the coat on Black Friday will get to save $236 and can choose from the brand’s Black, night sky and plein-air shades.

From Fox News ● Nov. 26, 2021

On the east wall is a canvas by le Sidaner, a leader of the plein-air school, which reminds one that good French landscapes are few in this exhibit.

From An Art-Lovers Guide to the Exposition by Cheney, Sheldon