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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  

[playn 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  

[playn-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  

/ 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

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plein air plein-air

Known for his plein air landscapes and masterful depictions of clouds, he turned to studio work to make money during the Great Depression.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

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

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

“There’s snow on the ground. It was 25 degrees. And still the nurses were outside doing this, and I couldn’t even believe it. So I stood outside and plein air painted those drive-through test centers.”

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2022

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

A hamburger stand-turned-roadhouse up against rolling hills, it belongs to plein-air reveries of old California but with dozens of Harley-Davidsons parked out front, glinting in the sun.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2023

The museum — where admission is just $3 for adults — hosts workshops on subjects ranging from plein-air painting to printmaking.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 25, 2022

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

Terms which express the same idea in general or in part, are "luminism" and "plein-air painting."

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

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