the technique of painting elaborated from impressionism, in which dots of unmixed colour are juxtaposed on a white ground so that from a distance they fuse in the viewer's eye into appropriate intermediate tones
Also called: divisionism
Derived forms
pointillist (ˈpointillist)
noun, adjective
pointilliste (ˈpointiˌlliste)
adjective
Word origin
C19: from French, from pointiller to mark with tiny dots, from pointille little point, from Italian puntiglio, from puntopoint
pointillism in American English
(ˈpwæntəˌlɪzəm)
noun
the method of painting of certain French impressionists, in which a white ground is systematically covered with tiny points of pure color that blend together when seen from a distance, producing a luminous effect
Derived forms
pointillist (ˈpointillist)
noun, adjective
pointillistic (ˌpointilˈlistic)
adjective
Word origin
Fr pointillisme < pointiller, to mark with dots < pointille, dot < It puntiglio, dim. of punto < L punctus: see point