1
[ noun ] the doctrine that representations of nature or human behavior should be accurate imitations

Used in print

(John F. Hayward, "Mimesis and Symbol in the Arts"...)

These polar concerns ( imitation vs. formalism ) reflect a philosophical and religious situation which has been developing over a long period_of_time .

For better or worse we cannot regard `` imitation '' in the arts in the simple mode of classical rationalism or detached realism .

A broader concept of imitation is needed , one which acknowledges that true invention is important , that the artist 's creativity in part transcends the non artistic causal_factors out of which it arises .

We need a doctrine of imitation to save us from the solipsism and futility of pure formalism .

Accordingly , it is the aim of this essay to advance a new theory of imitation ( which I shall call mimesis in_order to distinguish it from earlier theories of imitation ) and a new theory of invention ( which I shall call symbol for reasons to be stated hereafter ) .

Related terms

formalism doctrine mimesis

2
[ noun ] copying (or trying to copy) the actions of someone else

Used in print

(Chester G. Starr, The Origins of Greek Civili...)

One can take a vase of about 800 B.C. and , without any knowledge of its place_of_origin , venture to assign it to a specific area ; imitation and borrowing of motifs now become ascertainable .

3
[ noun ] a copy that is presented as the original

Synonyms

forgery counterfeit

Used in print

(High Fidelity, 11:10...)

The sound may be good ; but if you know The Real_Thing , you know that what you are hearing is only a clever imitation .

(John Cheever, "The Brigadier and the Golf Widow,"...)

Hand her a chair and she would say , `` Why , it 's a nice imitation of those Queen_Anne chairs I inherited from Grandmother_Delancy '' .

Related terms

copy fake forge

4
[ adjective ] not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article

Examples

"it isn't fake anything it's real synthetic fur" "faux pearls" "false teeth" "decorated with imitation palm leaves" "a purse of simulated alligator hide"

Used in print

(Clement Greenberg, "Collage" in his Art and...)

It was for this reason , and no other that I can see , that in September 1912 , Braque took the radical and revolutionary step of pasting actual pieces of imitation woodgrain wallpaper to a drawing on paper , instead of trying to simulate its texture in paint .

Picasso says that he himself had already made his first collage toward the end of 1911 , when he glued a piece of imitation caning oilcloth to a painting on canvas .

Related terms

artificial

5
[ adjective ] artificial and inferior

Synonyms

ersatz substitute

Examples

"ersatz coffee" "coffee substitute"

Related terms

artificial

6
[ noun ] a representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect
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