n. A genre of literature that was popular in the early 20th century, and practiced by writers such as Ambrose Bierce and Fritz Leiber
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. ludicrous or incongruous unnaturalness or distortion
Word Usage
"Despite the figurative grotesquerie, which is more nuisance than threat, it is a painting of nothing — no thing as such but atmosphere — a moody, indeterminate matter expressive of an interior mental state conjured through paint and paint alone."