painterly

[ peyn-ter-lee ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a painter.
2. Fine Arts. characterized by qualities of color, stroke, or texture perceived as distinctive to the art of painting, especially the rendering of forms and images in terms of color or tonal relations rather than of contour or line.

painterly

/ ˈpeɪntəlɪ /

adjective

1. having qualities peculiar to painting, esp the depiction of shapes by means of solid masses of colour, rather than by lines Compare linear
2. of or characteristic of a painter; artistic

Word History and Origins

Origin of painterly¹

First recorded in 1580–90; painter ¹ + -ly

Example Sentences

You know you’re in for something different from the opening frames as the film’s painterly look is revealed.

From Los Angeles Times

“Waiting for the Dawn” is an evocative picture book that uses poetic language and powerful, painterly illustrations to explore the effects of fires.

From Los Angeles Times

“The animation quality that they’ve achieved, that painterly feeling, makes it feel nostalgic and futuristic at the same time. It’s quite stunning.”

From Los Angeles Times

Early in the 20th century, French iconoclast Marcel Duchamp described a new “scientific spirit” for avant-garde art, noting the methodical painterly investigations of predecessors Georges Seurat and Paul Cézanne.

From Los Angeles Times

The action is well staged, though less conversational scenes are no more fluid than “The Flintstones;” but the design is attractive, and there are nice painterly background effects here and there.

From Los Angeles Times