Also called representative realism. Epistemology. the view that the objects of perception are ideas or sense data that represent external objects, especially the Lockean doctrine that the perceived idea represents exactly the primary qualities of the external object.
2.
Fine Arts. the practice or principle of representing or depicting an object in a recognizable manner, especially the portrayal of the surface characteristics of an object as they appear to the eye.
British Dictionary definitions for representationalism
representationalism
/ˌrɛprɪzɛnˈteɪʃənəˌlɪzəm/
noun
1.
(philosophy) the doctrine that in perceptions of objects what is before the mind is not the object but a representation of it Compare presentationism, naive realismSee also barrier of ideas
2.
(fine arts) the practice or advocacy of attempting to depict objects, scenes, figures, etc, directly as seen