gesso

American  

[jes-oh] / ˈdʒɛs oʊ /

noun

gessoes plural

1. gypsum or plaster of Paris prepared with glue for use as a surface for painting.

2. any plasterlike preparation to prepare a surface for painting, gilding, etc.

3. a prepared surface of plaster or plasterlike material for painting, gilding, etc.

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gesso British  

/ ˈdʒɛsəʊ /

noun

1. a white ground of plaster and size, used esp in the Middle Ages and Renaissance to prepare panels or canvas for painting or gilding

2. any white substance, esp plaster of Paris, that forms a ground when mixed with water

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Etymology

Origin of gesso

1590–1600; < Italian < Latin gypsum gypsum

Explanation

Gesso is a substance similar to white paint that artists use to prepare a surface for painting. Gesso is typically made of glue, chalk, and white pigment. Before you paint a portrait on a square of canvas or a piece of wood, you may want to coat your painting surface with gesso. After it dries, gesso creates an even base that holds paint well — similar to the primer house painters use before applying paint. Gesso means "chalk" or "plaster" in Italian, from the Latin gypsum, also "plaster," and the Greek root gypsos, "chalk."

Example Sentences

The masks were then covered with a thin layer of gesso and painted gold, believed to be the color of the gods’ flesh and considered an eternal and indestructible hue.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024

On the surface, the colorful landscapes and portraits he paints on the raw canvas he treats with gesso primer and Japanese bookbinding glue are a joyous experience.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2023

Today, painters most often use an acrylic polymer known as gesso, but 200 years ago, artists turned to a motley variety of substances.

From Science Magazine • May 23, 2023

Enriquez mixed the russet powder with dirt, gesso and paint and smeared it on canvases.

From Washington Post • Apr. 29, 2022

I muck up my mother’s kitchen floor and pots, cooking the gesso, and ruin panel after panel before I can work out how to paint it on for a smooth working surface.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood