Meaning & use
naturalistic art
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Meanings
noununcountable
A style of art that shows people, objects, and scenes as they actually look, without idealizing or adding imaginary details.
Grammar: Uncountable; talk about 'naturalistic art' in general, or 'a naturalistic painting' for one work.
Patterns
- naturalistic art of something
- in naturalistic art
The museum's new room is devoted to naturalistic art of the nineteenth century.
Her naturalistic art avoids dramatic lighting and shows ordinary people at work.
Critics praised the naturalistic art in the film, which made the village look completely real.
noununcountabletechnical
A way of painting or drawing that copies the visible world closely, often used to contrast with abstract or symbolic styles.
Grammar: Often appears after 'of' when you compare styles: 'the naturalistic art of the period'.
Patterns
- the naturalistic art of a period
- a move toward naturalistic art
The exhibition traces a move from religious symbols toward naturalistic art.
Students study naturalistic art before they try abstract painting.
By the 1600s, naturalistic art had become the standard in European portraits.
Common combinations
- highly naturalistic
- The sculpture is highly naturalistic, down to the veins on the leaves.
- naturalistic style
- Her early work shows a naturalistic style influenced by photography.
- naturalistic painting
- The gallery bought a naturalistic painting of a fishing harbor.
- naturalistic detail
- The novel is full of naturalistic detail about daily life in the city.
Synonyms and how they differ
- realistic
- Realistic is the everyday word for art that looks true to life; naturalistic is more formal and often used in art history.
- lifelike
- Lifelike describes a single object or figure that seems alive; naturalistic can describe a whole style or movement.
- representational
- Representational simply means the art shows recognizable things; naturalistic adds that the things are shown as they really appear.
Opposites
Word family
- naturalism noun
- The artistic or literary movement that aims to show life accurately.
- naturalist noun
- An artist or writer who works in a naturalistic way, or a scientist who studies nature.
- naturalistically adverb
- In a way that copies real life closely.
Commonly confused: naturalistic art or natural? naturalistic art or realism?
naturalistic art vs natural
Natural means made by nature, not by people, or normal and relaxed; it does not mean 'like real life' in art.
naturalistic art vs realism
Realism is the noun for the movement or quality; naturalistic is the adjective describing the style.
Practice
The critic said the portrait was ____ because every wrinkle and shadow looked exactly as in life.
Choose one answer.
Naturalistic is the adjective meaning 'shown as it really looks', which fits the description of the portrait. 'Natural' would suggest something made by nature, and 'naturalism' is a noun, not an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “naturalistic art”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.