as in abstract
using elements of form (as color, line, or texture) with little or no attempt at creating a realistic picture
the real subject of his nonobjective paintings is color—and the intense emotional response it can provoke in the viewer
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Recent Examples of nonobjective
Many of Eide’s colleagues were involved in DIY art spaces in West Baltimore and championed completely nonobjective painting and sculpture.
—
Lyndi McNulty, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 6 Sep. 2021
If Abstract Expressionism moved from figuration to nonobjective abstraction, then Judd et al. were going even further.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Republic, 15 May 2020
De Kooning used to talk about how putting facial features into otherwise nonobjective pictures gave him a point of contact, a way to organize the chaos.
—Dmitry Samarov, Chicago Reader, 23 Feb. 2018
The show charts Pape’s prolific path, from her youthful days in the nonobjective concrete-art movement to her defection to the more playful neo-concretism, ending with later works of anything-goes independence.
—The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2017
Lyndi McNulty, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 6 Sep. 2021
If Abstract Expressionism moved from figuration to nonobjective abstraction, then Judd et al. were going even further.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Republic, 15 May 2020
De Kooning used to talk about how putting facial features into otherwise nonobjective pictures gave him a point of contact, a way to organize the chaos.
—Dmitry Samarov, Chicago Reader, 23 Feb. 2018
The show charts Pape’s prolific path, from her youthful days in the nonobjective concrete-art movement to her defection to the more playful neo-concretism, ending with later works of anything-goes independence.
—The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonobjective
abstract
Adjective
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Trotsky’s arguments about revolution in one nation versus a revolution of the international proletariat, like the fine argumentative tracery of Paul’s Jewish Christians versus Greek ones, seemed vital to the movement at the time but weirdly trivial and abstract to those outside it.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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Following a major renovation from 2020 to 2022, the guest rooms and suites feel fresh, residential, and quietly luxurious—blending warm oak and soft marine hues with contemporary artwork by New York abstract artist Tamar Zinn and Hong Kong ink artist Kassia Ko.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonobjective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonobjective. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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