Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Painterly \Paint"er*ly\ (p[=a]nt"[~e]r*l[y^]), a.
Like a painter's work. [Obs.] ``A painterly glose of a
visage.''
--Sir P. Sidney.
Wiktionary
a. 1 Characteristic of a painter or paintings. 2 (context of a painting English) Having clear brush-strokes.
WordNet
adj. having qualities unique to the art of painting
Usage examples of "painterly".
Her trained painterly eye immediately notes the inorganic intrusion of this rectangular form, and she is offended by its disdain for the spirit of Gothic architecture, bespeaking the callousness of the local winner in the historical dispute between two versions of the same faith.
I also tend to be drawn to the more painterly artists such as Thom Ang, Kent Williams, Dave McKean, Greg Spalenka, and the like, where the brushmarks show and the images grow out of fascinating patchworks of anything from found objects to startling discourses of pure color.
The art ranges from loose, painterly panels to those with eloquent linework that stands out bold and sharp against washes of color, all tied together with a stylistic coherence and a master storyteller's skill.