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impasto

American  
[im-pas-toh, -pah-stoh] / ɪmˈpæs toʊ, -ˈpɑ stoʊ /

noun

Painting.
  1. the laying on of paint thickly.

  2. the paint so laid on.

  3. enamel or slip applied to a ceramic object to form a decoration in low relief.


impasto British  
/ ɪmˈpæstəʊ /

noun

  1. paint applied thickly, so that brush and palette knife marks are evident

  2. the technique of applying paint in this way

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of impasto

1775–85; < Italian, noun derivative of impastare to impaste

Vocabulary lists containing impasto

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.

But just as “Zinnias” shows Van Gogh’s early use of impasto, here you can see his distinctive sense of motion.

From Washington Post • Feb. 17, 2022

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

Todd Bienvenu paints both oil and acrylic in a faux-naïf style of broad approximate strokes, bright high-contrast colors and heavy impasto.

From New York Times • Apr. 13, 2017

Again and again, Bush pushes the paint around the canvas to from impasto swirls and jetties, mimicking the scars and disfigurements of his subjects.

From The Guardian • Mar. 6, 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