impasto
Americannoun
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the laying on of paint thickly.
-
the paint so laid on.
-
enamel or slip applied to a ceramic object to form a decoration in low relief.
noun
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paint applied thickly, so that brush and palette knife marks are evident
-
the technique of applying paint in this way
Etymology
Origin of impasto
1775–85; < Italian, noun derivative of impastare to impaste
Vocabulary lists containing impasto
National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 3
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Visual Arts - High School
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Art History
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The paint itself ranges from thick impasto to thin washes that can presage those of Color Field paintings.
From New York Times • Jul. 27, 2023
But just as “Zinnias” shows Van Gogh’s early use of impasto, here you can see his distinctive sense of motion.
From Washington Post • Feb. 17, 2022
Todd Bienvenu paints both oil and acrylic in a faux-naïf style of broad approximate strokes, bright high-contrast colors and heavy impasto.
From New York Times • Apr. 13, 2017
Although there are no recognizable features, a deep trough carved into the heavy impasto conveys a sense of savage disfigurement, which is heightened by the whiteness of the boy’s smoothly ironed dress shirt.
From The New Yorker • Apr. 3, 2017
He had to be careful; the paint was still wet, the impasto so thick a piece could take weeks or months or a year to dry.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
