primitivism

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“
Wald goes on to demolish what many cherish about the blues, claiming that the received notions embodied in the crossroads story -- primitivism, poverty, authenticity, early death -- were the revisionist constructions of mid-century white tastemakers and song collectors (read: Alan Lomax).

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Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun The condition or quality of being primitive.
  2. noun The style characteristic of a primitive artist.
  3. noun A belief that it is best to live simply and in a natural environment.
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Examples (50)

  • Green anarchists are rethinking primitivism, red anarchists are embracing radical sustainability, and people everywhere are asking where we go from here. —  Anarchist news dot org - News for anarchists and their friends
  • If forced to, a person would probably ram its sound into the new primitivism category made popular by High Places and Yeasayer, but this does not do the band justice. —  DOA
  • Bourgeois has an idiosyncratic aesthetic and has adapted and interpreted diverse ideas and styles from Europe and America, notably Surrealism, primitivism, psychoanalysis, conceptualism and feminism. —  Art Knowledge News
  • The New York Neo-Expressionist found the divining line between modern primitivism, graffiti and punk-funk, fashioning himself into an edgy art star who flamed out courtesy the usual excesses.
  • American primitivism (the genre tag applied to guitarist John Fahey in the late 50s). —  Music news, reviews, comment and features | guardian.co.uk
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