impasto
UK[ɪmˈpæstəʊ]US[ɪmˈpɑːstoʊ]
n
A technique used in painting where paint is applied thickly, so that brush or knife strokes are visible.
n
Paint applied thickly in this way.
Morpheme Breakdown
in
pasto
in
in
pasto
paste
Etymology
The word 'impasto' is a direct loanword from Italian, where it originally meant 'to knead in' or 'to make into a paste'. It is formed from the Italian verb 'impastare', itself a combination of the Latin prefix 'in-' (into) and 'pasta' (paste, dough). This construction perfectly captures the technique's essence: the thick, paste-like quality of the paint is literally worked 'into' the canvas with visible texture. The term entered the specialized vocabulary of English art criticism in the 18th century to describe the heavy, tactile application of paint characteristic of artists like Rembrandt and later, the Impressionists.
Analysis
Structure: in + pasto
- in: Latin origin, meaning 'in' or 'into'. In this context, it functions as an intensifying prefix.
- pasto: From Italian 'pasta', meaning 'paste' or 'dough'. It functions as the core root denoting a thick, malleable substance.
Examples
The artist's use of heavy impasto created a dramatic, textured surface on the portrait.
You can achieve a sense of depth and materiality by building up layers of impasto.
The thick impasto in Van Gogh's "Starry Night" makes the sky appear to swirl with energy.