title: Colorplot in python with smoother resolution without interpolating
body: <p>I am trying to plot a 2D matrix into a color plot using python. However the plot comes out highly pixelated. How do I make the color transitions look smoother <em><strong>without</strong></em> increasing data size, decreasing figure size or applying interpolation ?</p>
  <p>For example, consider the below dummy plot</p>
  <pre><code>import numpy as np 
  import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
  
  H = np.array([[1, 2, 3, 4],
            [5, 6, 7, 8],
            [9, 10, 11, 12],
            [13, 14, 15, 16]])
  
  plt.imshow(H)
  plt.show()
  </code></pre>
  <p>This gives the following colorplot. As you can see its highly pixelated. By <em>pixelated</em> I mean that one can see the individual data points. I want a plot where the colors are sort of blended together. I tried to propose using <code>interpolation = &quot;bicubic&quot;</code> parameter in <code>plt.imshow()</code>, but I was rejected since interpolating the data changes the values. So, how else do I do this ?</p>
  <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hz920.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hz920.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>