No, pixel art is not at all about "big blocky pixels" - that's some silly 8-bit retro movement. Pixel art is about a crisp, distinctive look and intricate detail. For instance, this piece:
http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/29178.htm
Keep in mind that bad graphics are not retro! This is seen a lot in indie games - the creator isn't very artistic and so they use low-quality sprites to make up for it and call it retro (this is also happening with chiptunes/module scene).
> No, pixel art is not at all about "big blocky pixels" - that's some silly 8-bit retro movement.
At not point the article claims that pixel art should be all about big blocky pixels, only that understanding of pixel art is typically about (i.e what the layman knows about it), and even more typically in the context of video games. The only thing argued is that if any scaling is to be applied, it has to take place in the code, not in the image, which actually goes in your sense: the source image, although small, has to stay crisp.
So if you wish to really make a distinction, let's call it chip art then, or low-fi, or low-res, but there's no denying that this is pixel art, with the added constraint of resolution.
Calling this "retro", "8-bit", whatever movement "silly" is a bit disingenuous. From The Incident to The Last Rocket to Fez, the visuals are gorgeous. And not just the visuals, but from sound effects to music, the audio experience is fantastic. Disasterpeace [0] — the artist behind the Fez soundtrack — created rich electronic music, perfectly in line with my definition of quality (I enjoyed Rise of the Obsidian Interstellar way before Fez was known).
Keep in mind that bad graphics are not retro! This is seen a lot in indie games - the creator isn't very artistic and so they use low-quality sprites to make up for it and call it retro (this is also happening with chiptunes/module scene).
Also, here's a wonderful guide/explanation on pixel art - a very very good read: http://forum.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=32273