gestural

adjective ges·tur·al \ ˈjes-chə-rəl , ˈjesh- \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Definition of gestural

1 : of, relating to, or consisting of gestures

2 : of, relating to, or characterized by vigorous application of paint and expressive brushwork

gestural expressionism

—

gesturally

play \ˈjes-chə-rə-lē, ˈjesh-\ adverb

Recent Examples of gestural from the Web

If the gestural mark making suggests an open and exploratory quality, the paint itself has a weighty nature.

— mike giuliano, Howard County Times, "Artist gets metaphysical at Columbia Art Center," 6 July 2018
Only two Bournonville excerpts shone with a singularity that revealed the personable warmth and gestural ease long associated with the company’s dancers.

— robert greskovic, WSJ, "A Mixed Bill With Varied Results," 22 June 2018
The first semiofficial gestural fan language was written by a Spanish man known simply as Fenella.

— madeleine luckel, Vogue, "Why It’s Time to Revisit the Handheld Fan—And Its Secret Language," 24 Apr. 2018
The work is a massive embodiment of roiling gestural energy.

— julia couzens, sacbee, "A witty and deep showcase of Jewish artists' contributions to California art history | The Sacramento Bee," 6 Apr. 2018
Her paintings explore bizarre, dreamlike scenarios in bold colors and dramatic, forceful and gestural brushstrokes.

— steven litt, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Museum of Art announces details of Dana Schutz show at Transformer Station (photos)," 9 Jan. 2018
The pose and the placement of the hands expresses a gestural sense of the subject’s self that flows right into the dress: Michelle Obama is a wearer of clothes and an owner of arms and a woman who looks right at you, this painting says.

— josephine livingstone, New Republic, "The new Obama portraits are gorgeous alone, but combine strangely.," 12 Feb. 2018
The release is more gestural than actual, a bit of fake-it-till-you-make-it.

— elizabeth greenwood, Longreads, "The Month of Giving Dangerously," 31 Jan. 2018
Viewed up close, these marks bear a whiff of 1950s Abstract Expressionist gestural painting.

— steven litt, cleveland.com, "Dana Schutz tackles Trump era anxieties in new show at Transformer Station (photos)," 21 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gestural.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of gestural

1613

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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gestural

Definition of gestural

gesturally

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First Known Use of gestural

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Definition of gestural

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