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
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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
On the white underpainting for a composition in progress, she pointed to the turbulent strokes and impasto — a contrast with the discipline of the finished works.
From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2022
The nets she painted were made from a repetitive singular gesture of impasto in little loops, like interlocking scales; the longest canvases measured 30ft.
From The Guardian • Sep. 23, 2018
“David knew what he looked like from every angle, from the back of his head even,” says the painter Derek Boshier, whose 1980 impasto portrait of the singer appears here.
From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2017
To make up for it, he paints with even heavier strokes, the impasto thick and thicker.
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.
