impasto
noun
im·pas·to im-ˈpa-(ˌ)stō 
-ˈpä-
plural impastos
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
impastoed
im-ˈpa-(ˌ)stōd
adjective -ˈpä-
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The thick impasto of the hydrangeas above the figures matches the lushness of the blossom itself. 
Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022 The greatness of Kossoff’s work is revealed in how his images emerge from the impasto – the accumulations of thick layers of paint — forcing the viewer to negotiate and cycle back and forth between the image depicted and the paint itself. Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2022 Jaeger-LeCoultre’s master painter faithfully reproduced the artist’s strong sense of perspective, signature brush stroke and heavy impasto, a technique that uses thick layers of paint that raise above the canvas. Carol Besler, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2021 Here are paintings, heavy on the impasto, that are intended to calm the soul, soothe the mind, that would look good hanging above the I.T. guy’s couch. Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, The New Yorker, 24 May 2021 In addition to heavy impasto, Aguirre further thickened the surface of the painting by applying scrapings of paint from his palette that curl like flower petals or snippets of ribbons. Steven Litt, cleveland, 18 Apr. 2021 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, 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, 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, 14 Dec. 2019 See More
Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022 The greatness of Kossoff’s work is revealed in how his images emerge from the impasto – the accumulations of thick layers of paint — forcing the viewer to negotiate and cycle back and forth between the image depicted and the paint itself. Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2022 Jaeger-LeCoultre’s master painter faithfully reproduced the artist’s strong sense of perspective, signature brush stroke and heavy impasto, a technique that uses thick layers of paint that raise above the canvas. Carol Besler, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2021 Here are paintings, heavy on the impasto, that are intended to calm the soul, soothe the mind, that would look good hanging above the I.T. guy’s couch. Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, The New Yorker, 24 May 2021 In addition to heavy impasto, Aguirre further thickened the surface of the painting by applying scrapings of paint from his palette that curl like flower petals or snippets of ribbons. Steven Litt, cleveland, 18 Apr. 2021 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, 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, 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, 14 Dec. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Italian, from impastare
First Known Use
1784, in the meaning defined at sense 1