What is maximalism? A maximalist artist is one who rejects the minimalist art movement and style of painting. A minimalist oil painter believes that "less is more"; whereas, a maximalist painter believes "more is more". I am probably the only maximalist painter in the world, but who knows, it's a pretty big world out there. Maximalism speaks to the philosophy of painting in a particular style. I personally like the look of realism but I'm not necessarily stuck on it. I always stop short of photorealism; that is, making my paintings look like photographs.