grisaille

[ gri-zahy, -zeyl; French gree-zah-yuh ]

noun

, plural gri·sailles [gri-, zahyz, -, zeylz, g, r, ee-, zah, -y, uh]

1. monochromatic painting in shades of gray.
2. a work of art, as a painting or stained-glass window, executed in grisaille.

grisaille

/ ɡrizɑj; ɡrɪˈzeɪl /

noun

1. a technique of monochrome painting in shades of grey, as in an oil painting or a wall decoration, imitating the effect of relief
2. a painting, stained glass window, etc, in this manner

Word History and Origins

Origin of grisaille¹

1840–50; < French: painted in gray monotone, equivalent to gris gray + -aille noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of grisaille¹

C19: from French, from gris grey

Example Sentences

A planned exhibition of his grisaille paintings at the Whitney Museum of American Art had to be canceled.

From New York Times

Bellow, however, could still stop for a sauvignon blanc and a plate of charcuterie when the “Parisian grisaille” — that depthless monochrome that can envelop even the Eiffel Tower — gave him the January blues.

From New York Times

This much was evident in the largely grisaille efforts in her 2016 show at Marian Goodman, where a new softness of line prevailed.

From New York Times

She painted images clipped from magazines in slightly fogged-in grisaille, as if suffused with tragedy.

From New York Times

In 1938, she painted the intriguing grisaille oil “Stargazing in Texas.”

From The New Yorker