1. a philosophical or artistic position that rejects the idea that knowledge, truth, or art should aim to represent objective reality or universal standards
Usage: formal; philosophy and art criticism
2. in art, the practice or theory of creating abstract or non-representational works that do not depict recognizable objects or scenes
Usage: art history

Examples

• The artist's embrace of nonobjectivism led her to create paintings composed entirely of color and form.
• Nonobjectivism in philosophy challenges the assumption that reality exists independently of human perception.
• The movement toward nonobjectivism in early 20th-century art rejected traditional depictions of the natural world.
• Critics debated whether nonobjectivism represented a liberation or a rejection of artistic responsibility.
• His nonobjectivism extended to his belief that moral truths are not universal but culturally determined.