A painter in the fine arts is a person who creates paintings -- two-dimensional artworks -- by applying a coloured emulsion called paint to a flat surface. Contrast this with a person whose trade is covering surfaces with paint, also called a painter. The difference is the artistic intent of the former.

Some surrealistss (in particular Joan Miro, who called for the "murder of painting") have denounced or attempted to "supersede" painting, and there have also been other anti-painting trends among artistic movements, such as that of conceptual art.

The trend away from painting in the 20th century (of course, there were still people painting all this time) has been countered by various movements, for example Stuckism.

See also: List of painters, Art History

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Painter is the name of a software package used to create natural-looking artistic images using a computer. Originally available on the Macintosh, it is now also available for Windows. Using a graphics tablet, the user is able to create remarkably realistic images freehand, with the package simulating a wide range of classical effects such as watercolor and oil paints, as well as a wide range of unique effects.

Painter is now owned and marketed by the Corel corp