Glossary · Materials
Imprimatura
A thin, often translucent first layer of paint applied over the gesso ground to establish a colored mid-tone — eliminating the stark white ground and unifying the base on which all subsequent layers are built.
Definition
An imprimatura (from Italian imprimere, "to press in" or "to imprint") is a thin, translucent wash of colored paint applied uniformly over the white gesso ground before detailed painting begins. It serves several functions:
- Tones the ground: Eliminates the stark white of the gesso, which would otherwise make values difficult to judge during painting
- Establishes mid-tone: Provides a middle value from which the artist can work lighter (highlights) and darker (shadows) without starting from extremes
- Unifies the surface: Covers variations in the gesso and creates a consistent base color throughout the composition
Common imprimatura colors in Renaissance painting include warm earth tones (raw sienna, warm gray), cool grays, or greenish-gray (verdaccio — a mid-tone green used particularly for flesh underpainting in the Florentine tradition).
In Leonardo's Practice
Technical analysis of Leonardo's panels suggests he used a warm lead-white preparation with earthy pigments for his grounds, visible in areas where the paint is thinly applied or has become transparent with age.