Plastician artist and painter: what's the difference?

The terms visual artist and painter are used to refer to the same person, but they do not describe exactly the same reality. One emphasizes the diversity of artistic practices, the other on painting as a privileged means of expression.

So, what is the difference between a visual artist and a painter? And why do some contemporary artists choose to present themselves as visual artists rather than simply as painters?

Painter: a practice centered on painting

A painter is a creator whose primary means of expression is painting. Painting can be figurative, abstract, expressionist, minimalist, or contemporary. It can use oil, acrylic, watercolor, or other mediums.

Being a painter does not mean belonging to a particular style. It primarily means that painting holds a central place in the artistic approach.

Visual artist: a more open practice

The term visual artist is broader. The Académie française defines a visual artist as an artist who dedicates themselves to the visual arts.

This category can include painting and drawing, but also sculpture, photography, video, installation, digital art, or various forms of experimentation with materials and media. A visual artist is a creator who uses varied techniques and materials to develop a personal artistic approach.

A visual artist is therefore not necessarily defined by a single technique. They can paint today, photograph tomorrow, work with collage or digital art on another piece, and combine several mediums in the same creation.

Painter or visual artist: do you have to choose?

Not necessarily. The two appellations can perfectly coexist.

An artist can be both a painter and a visual artist when painting constitutes a significant part of their work while being part of a broader artistic practice. This is also the logic adopted in the INSEE professional nomenclature: painters are among the visual artists.

The difference lies less in the artist's status than in the way they describe their practice and their creative world.

Why is the term "visual artist" present in contemporary art?

Contemporary art has progressively blurred the boundaries between disciplines. A work can today combine painting, photography, collage, digital image, material, object, or installation. Artists are no longer confined to a single technique.

This evolution explains the prominence of the term visual artist. It allows for discussion of creation that goes beyond the sole question of medium.

The important thing is no longer whether an artist paints, photographs, or sculpts, but to understand what vision they develop and how they construct their artistic language. A visual artist thus works as much with materials and images as with ideas, memories, emotions and experiences.

In my work: why visual artist and painter?

For my part, I define myself as a French visual artist because my work is not limited to a single form of expression. Nevertheless, painting holds an essential place in my approach.

I notably work with acrylic paint, mixed media, collage, and various processes that allow me to construct images where material, color, and memory meet.

Photography and digital creation are also part of my artistic universe. My travels have deeply nourished this research. Landscapes, cities, encounters, and the impressions left by certain places sometimes become the starting point for a work.

I can therefore be both a painter, when painting is at the heart of a creation, and a visual artist, when my approach opens up to several techniques and media.

These two terms are not opposed. They simply describe two complementary dimensions of my work.