brushwork

[ bruhsh-wurk ]

noun

1. the use of a brush as a tool, as in painting.
2. Fine Arts. the surface quality of a painting produced by the distribution of pigment with a brush.
3. work for which a brush is used, as painting.

brushwork

/ ˈbrʌʃˌwɜːk /

noun

1. a characteristic manner of applying paint with a brush

   that is not Rembrandt's brushwork

2. work done with a brush

Word History and Origins

Origin of brushwork¹

First recorded in 1865–70; brush ¹ + work

Example Sentences

Her deft brushwork, dazzling sense of color and unpretentious approach transform her humble, charming ceramics into artworks that captivate the eye and engage the heart and mind.

From Los Angeles Times

By the 10th century, good brushwork had become known in China as a sign of good character.

From New York Times

While Gibbons applies her heated pastels in relatively flat and thick layers, elsewhere she often varies color and brushwork, creating forms that feel light, even hollow.

From New York Times

However flat and endless a given field of brown or yellow might be, the works were always constructed with vibrant brushwork and a kind of quiet glee at odds with his stark aesthetic.

From New York Times

Found materials, including street signage rulers, ornithology illustrations and children’s drawings, festoon the canvas, mingling with hurried chalk annotations and prays of gestural brushwork resembling graffiti.

From New York Times