the first layer in a painting, indicating the design and main areas of light and shade
underpainting in American English
(ˈundərˌpeintɪŋ)
noun
the first coat of paint, esp. the initial painting on a canvas in which the major areas, tones, colors, and forms are indicated in mass
Word origin
[1865–70; under- + painting]This word is first recorded in the period 1865–70. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: black belt, dunk, figure skating, goulash, valenceunder- is a prefixal use of under, as to indicate place or situation below or beneath (underbrush; undertow); lower in grade or dignity (undersheriff; understudy); of lesser degree, extent, or amount (undersized); or insufficiency (underfeed)
Examples of 'underpainting' in a sentence
underpainting
In the underpainting, a film accompaniment to this picture reveals, the old man has made his decision.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The discovery of an underpainting shows how fashions and concepts of beauty changed over two centuries.