pic·to·ri·al·ism
pik-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-ˌli-zəm 
1
: the use or creation of pictures or visual images
2
: a movement or technique in photography emphasizing artificial often romanticized pictorial qualities
pic·to·ri·al·ist
-lə̇st
plural -s
: one who produces a picture especially by photography for its own sake or as an end in itself
interesting both to the pictorialist and the professional is the article on architectural photography—
Photography Year Book
Photography Year BookExamples of pictorialism in a Sentence
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Gordon Hughes, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Though Jordan delights in scenes filmed in the ring and brings a graphic pictorialism to the dramatized bouts, there’s little attention to strategy, little discussion of who’s doing what to whom, how and why and to what effect.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2023
After about 1910, some Black photographers joined white peers in adopting the techniques of pictorialism, using soft focus, short depth of field and relaxed poses to produce more artistic, expressive images.
—Judith H. Dobrzynski, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022
Numerous styles are reflected in the book including pictorialism, abstraction and candid street photography from the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson, André Kertész and Alfred Stieglitz, among others.
—Jeff Campagna, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2021
Her way is short on pomp in her exquisite calligraphic musical pictorialism.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2021
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Noun
Crucially, however, there is another view onto Bove’s sculpture beyond the double illusionism of its oblique materialism and front-facing near-pictorialism.
—Gordon Hughes, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Though Jordan delights in scenes filmed in the ring and brings a graphic pictorialism to the dramatized bouts, there’s little attention to strategy, little discussion of who’s doing what to whom, how and why and to what effect.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2023
After about 1910, some Black photographers joined white peers in adopting the techniques of pictorialism, using soft focus, short depth of field and relaxed poses to produce more artistic, expressive images.
—Judith H. Dobrzynski, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022
Numerous styles are reflected in the book including pictorialism, abstraction and candid street photography from the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson, André Kertész and Alfred Stieglitz, among others.
—Jeff Campagna, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2021
Her way is short on pomp in her exquisite calligraphic musical pictorialism.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2021
Cite this Entry
“Pictorialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pictorialism. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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