gouache

[ gwahsh, goo-ahsh; French gwash ]

noun

, plural gouach·es [gwah, -shiz, goo-, ah, -shiz, gwash]

1. a technique of painting with opaque watercolors prepared with gum.
2. an opaque color used in painting a gouache.
3. a work painted using gouache.

gouache

/ ɡʊˈɑːʃ /

noun

1. Also calledbody colour a painting technique using opaque watercolour paint in which the pigments are bound with glue and the lighter tones contain white
2. the paint used in this technique
3. a painting done by this method

Word History and Origins

Origin of gouache¹

1880–85; < French < Italian guazzo place where there is water ≪ Latin aquātiō, derivative of aqua water

Word History and Origins

Origin of gouache¹

C19: from French, from Italian guazzo puddle, from Latin aquātiō a watering place, from aqua water

Example Sentences

Ghilardi encouraged him to experiment with watercolours, gouache, and pastels, which he extensively used later in his work.

From BBC

But it’s rare to see work as thoroughly and distinctively strange as these acrylic and gouache paintings on Korean hanji paper by Jongwan Jang.

From New York Times

Later, he’ll transfer these images to silk, stretch them onto wooden frames, and add bouquets of flowers and explosions of patterns with gouache paint.

From Seattle Times

“The prints this season were based on a 19th century gouache painting of a pink peony that I found. I rendered it on chiffons in a quite small scale … then I exploded it on a ball skirt … working with our embroiderers who just rendered that painting in individual rows of thread,” Gordon said.

From Seattle Times

On the third floor, the theme of “Play” is put through various permutations, including the game-board compositions of Dor Maimoun’s Jacquard-weave textile painting and Michael Hambouz’s gouache on wood panel.

From New York Times