impasto

im·pas·to | \ im-ˈpa-(ˌ)stō

How to pronounce impasto (audio)

, -ˈpä- \

plural impastos

Definition of impasto

1 : the thick application of a pigment to a canvas or panel in painting also : the body of pigment so applied

2 : raised decoration on ceramic ware usually of slip or enamel

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Examples of impasto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The scientists discovered the presence of a mineral called plumbonacrite in the impasto layer—an uncommon element in paints from that period. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "High-energy X-rays reveal the secrets of ancient Egyptian inks," 2 Dec. 2020 In the fifties, the United States already had a pocket of conceptual art, but the star painters were the Abstract Expressionists, above all Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, with their effortful drips and impastos. — Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, "Untangling Andy Warhol," 1 June 2020 This material obliged a 1920s avant-garde aesthetic — angular, abstract forms, a simple palette, no fancy flashes like impasto, and simple subject matter. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, "Edith Halpert and American Modernism," 14 Dec. 2019 Art brut was a source of inspiration for the painter and sculptor Jean Dubuffet’s own work, which ranged from primitive-looking drawings scratched into impasto to a totemic figure composed only of two unmodified grapevine roots and a block of slag. — Nicole Rudick, The New York Review of Books, "Nicole Rudick," 7 Nov. 2018 Kokoschka/Pro In Dresden, where Kokoschka settled after World War I, the artist’s palette brightens and his impasto technique, hitherto mostly confined to faces, hands and clothing, floods his canvases, often extending to their very corners. — A.j. Goldmann, WSJ, "‘Oskar Kokoschka—Expressionist, Migrant, European. A Retrospective’ Review: Longevity as Blessing and Curse," 2 Jan. 2019 What Hicks’s images convey is the impasto layering of changing generational taste that makes this house, like so many other storied British homes, a place of such endless delight and discovery. — Noor Brara, Vogue, "Inside Buckingham Palace’s Resplendent, Never-Before Seen Rooms," 4 Oct. 2018 Each artist’s work employs the impasto technique, in which paint straight from the tube, by paint stick, or by finger is applied, slathered, or encrusted in a technique that makes the application process part of the art. — Nancy Shohet West, BostonGlobe.com, "For the birds: Music and poetry honor avian life," 23 Mar. 2018 In each frame, the team of artists mimicked the thick layers of oil paint that Vincent mixed on his canvases with his palette knife and hands through a technique called impasto. — Jackie Mansky, Smithsonian, "How the Creators of Loving Vincent Brought the First Fully Painted Animated Film to Life," 20 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impasto.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near impasto

impassionedness

Statistics for impasto

Last Updated

15 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Impasto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impasto. Accessed 22 Jan. 2021.

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