underpainting

American  

[uhn-der-peyn-ting] / ˈʌn dərˌpeɪn tɪŋ /

noun

1. the first coat of paint, especially the initial painting painting on a canvas in which the major areas, tones, colors, and forms are indicated in mass.

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underpainting British  

/ ˈʌndəˌpeɪntɪŋ /

noun

1. the first layer in a painting, indicating the design and main areas of light and shade

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Etymology

Origin of underpainting

First recorded in 1865–70; under- + painting

Example Sentences

It’s a draft, what’s called an underpainting.

From Literature

Today this painting—this underpainting—is among the most famous artworks in the Uffizi, the Florence museum stuffed with famous paintings.

From Literature

In addition to the impasto fireworks, subtle red underpainting is glimpsed beneath the greenish brown color of the back wall and the black jacket, yielding smoldering life to what could have been just tired passages of dark flat color.

From Los Angeles Times

Their research was initially hobbled by the pandemic, and other factors, but last spring MacDonald-Korth used high-tech equipment to study the underpainting and trace the elements of the paints used in the original in Philadelphia.

From New York Times

It’s as if the small images are underpainting that peeks through the cobalt surface.

From Los Angeles Times