primitivism
noun
a recurrent theory or belief, as in philosophy or art, that the qualities of primitive or chronologically early cultures are superior to those of contemporary civilization.
primitivist
-
a word derived from
primitivism.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In his optimistic moments, he imagines making work that will get him talked about as the “Gauguin of the Northern Hemisphere,” doing for this rocky Atlantic outpost what the French primitivist once did for Tahiti.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2022
Fearn wrote beats that were deceptively primitivist, as indebted to the skronking throb-throb of ’80s American post-punk bands like Big Black as they were to hip-hop; Williamson’s heavily-accented rage-poetry fit neatly on top.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 21, 2021
He appeals to the primitivist ideas of everyone around him.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 2, 2020
Giacometti took to creating only works that, he said, he had visualized in advance, in forms and styles that hopscotched from primitivist to abstract and from sweetly poetic to viciously aggressive.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 11, 2018
When you combine that unusual shape with the tower’s skin of stone panels, the effect is distinctly primitivist, with hints of the way Mayan or Egyptian temples preside over wide empty plazas.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2017
