as in abstract
using elements of form (as color, line, or texture) with little or no attempt at creating a realistic picture
nonrepresentational photographs that are really about the play of light on rapidly moving objects
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Recent Examples of nonrepresentational
Alfred Leslie, a second-generation Abstract Expressionist and filmmaker who turned his back on nonrepresentational art in the early 1960s to lead a revival of figurative painting, died on Friday in Brooklyn.
—
William Grimes, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2023
The show’s standout, however, is a nonrepresentational piece.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2022
What is beyond doubt is Graham’s affinity with nonrepresentational art, aimed not at telling a story but at conveying deep emotions and fundamental truths.
—Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2022
Anyone who loves, studies or makes nonrepresentational paintings ought to see this traveling exhibition, and not just for the sheer joy of a gorgeous show full of surprises.
—Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2022
His immediate artistic forebears, including Jackson Pollock and the other nonrepresentational painters of the 1950s, had already thoroughly upended the notion of painting as a recognizable picture.
—BostonGlobe.com, 27 June 2022
Democrats already labor under the nonrepresentational quality of the U.S. Senate, where, according to a recent analysis by Vox, the 50 Democratic senators represent 41.6 million more people than 50 Republican senators.
—Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 27 Apr. 2021
William Grimes, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2023
The show’s standout, however, is a nonrepresentational piece.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2022
What is beyond doubt is Graham’s affinity with nonrepresentational art, aimed not at telling a story but at conveying deep emotions and fundamental truths.
—Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2022
Anyone who loves, studies or makes nonrepresentational paintings ought to see this traveling exhibition, and not just for the sheer joy of a gorgeous show full of surprises.
—Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2022
His immediate artistic forebears, including Jackson Pollock and the other nonrepresentational painters of the 1950s, had already thoroughly upended the notion of painting as a recognizable picture.
—BostonGlobe.com, 27 June 2022
Democrats already labor under the nonrepresentational quality of the U.S. Senate, where, according to a recent analysis by Vox, the 50 Democratic senators represent 41.6 million more people than 50 Republican senators.
—Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 27 Apr. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonrepresentational
abstract
Adjective
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Not abstract, delayed or generalized data, but precise, real-time and location-specific insights delivered from the world’s most remote forests, deepest watersheds and most polluted urban corridors.—
Michael De Nil,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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As anyone who’s ever had a two-year-old could tell you, kids that age don’t quite see things in such abstract terms.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonrepresentational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonrepresentational. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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