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painterly

/ˈpeɪntərli/
IPA guide

Something that's painterly resembles or shares the qualities of a painting. You could admire the painterly style of your four year-old cousin's crayon picture of her cat.

Painterly technique might include brush strokes, use of color, or the particular texture of a work of art. Something with painterly qualities might not even be a painting — it could be a photograph or a drawing that mimics the style of a painting. This adjective can also describe a person who see things the way a painter might, like your friend who snaps photos on her phone and is praised for her painterly eye.

Definitions of painterly
  1. adjective
    having qualities unique to the art of painting
    synonyms:
    aesthetic, aesthetical, esthetic, esthetical
    concerning or characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
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