illusionism
noun
il·lu·sion·ism
i-ˈlü-zhə-ˌni-zəm 
: the use of artistic techniques (such as perspective or shading) to create the illusion of reality especially in a work of art
Examples of illusionism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Los Angeles, where Ruscha made his career, is home to Hollywood, an inexhaustible American industry and the leading technological center of mass illusionism.
—
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
So, there is always another level to illusionism, another more masterly bit of deception.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
In art, all this necessitated a turn away from illusionism and a return to the basic building blocks, the foundational honesty of abstraction: line, color, materials, structure.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2023
The greatest leaps in his development as an abstract painter came through absorption of the liberation of color in French Fauvism and the spatial transformation of pictorial illusionism in Claude Monet’s lily ponds, as well as from traditional Japanese aesthetics.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2023
That, at least, is how the story of Cubism usually goes: a story of an utter break with illusionism.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2022
Modernism rejected illusionism; Kollwitz embraces it wholeheartedly.
—Eric Gibson, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022
The museum succeeds when its curators focus on the how and why of illusionism.
—Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2022
Cézanne wanted to cast out the 500-year-old demons of pictorial illusionism, naturalism, and romanticizing.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 7 July 2021
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
So, there is always another level to illusionism, another more masterly bit of deception.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
In art, all this necessitated a turn away from illusionism and a return to the basic building blocks, the foundational honesty of abstraction: line, color, materials, structure.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2023
The greatest leaps in his development as an abstract painter came through absorption of the liberation of color in French Fauvism and the spatial transformation of pictorial illusionism in Claude Monet’s lily ponds, as well as from traditional Japanese aesthetics.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2023
That, at least, is how the story of Cubism usually goes: a story of an utter break with illusionism.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2022
Modernism rejected illusionism; Kollwitz embraces it wholeheartedly.
—Eric Gibson, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022
The museum succeeds when its curators focus on the how and why of illusionism.
—Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2022
Cézanne wanted to cast out the 500-year-old demons of pictorial illusionism, naturalism, and romanticizing.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 7 July 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'illusionism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1911, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near illusionism
Cite this Entry
“Illusionism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illusionism. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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