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.
Origin of pointillism
1900–05; < Frenchpointillisme, equivalent to pointill(er) to mark with points + -isme-ism
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 tonesAlso called: divisionism
Derived Formspointillist, noun, adjective
Word Origin for pointillism
C19: from French, from pointiller to mark with tiny dots, from pointille little point, from Italian puntiglio, from puntopoint
1901, from French pointillisme, from pointiller "to cover with pointilles," small dots, plural diminutive of point (see point (n.)). Pointillist is attested from 1891, from French pointilliste.
