Definition of gesso in English:
gesso
nounPlural gessoes ˈdʒɛsəʊˈdʒɛsoʊ
mass nounA hard compound of plaster of Paris or whiting in glue, used in sculpture or as a base for gilding or painting on wood.
the surface must first be given several coats of gesso
Example sentencesExamples
- Emulating the old masters, he used tempera and oil over gesso on wood, then covered the surface with transparent glaze.
- By the fifteenth century, many Western artists were using it in frescoes or in gesso on wood panel paintings.
- To make them, Gissler first builds up layer upon smooth layer of gesso on a thick wood panel, achieving a dense, glassy surface.
- Executed in egg tempera and gesso on panel rather than the acrylics and oils for which the artist is best known, these new paintings exhibit a sensual luminosity not previously seen in his work.
- She pays great attention to the surface texture of her paintings, working primarily with gesso, acrylic and tempera.
Origin
Late 16th century: Italian, from Latin gypsum (see gypsum).