facture
/ˈfaktʃə
/noun [mass noun]
The quality of the execution of a painting; an artist’s characteristic handling of the paint: Manet’s sensuous facture...
- They had in common the repudiation of such painterly qualities as expressive brush strokes and personalized facture.
- The Americans tend toward a flat, emblematic depiction of commercial imagery, whereas the British often favor an episodic approach to narrative that betrays a fondness for the facture of Abstract Expressionism.
- She often leaves visible under-painting and fragments of preliminary drawing, emphasizing her paintings' facture and directing attention to the more articulated drama center-stage.
Origin
Late Middle English (in the general sense 'construction, workmanship'): via Old French from Latin factura 'formation, manufacture', from facere 'do, make'. The current sense dates from the late 19th century.