What does underpainting mean?
Underpainting is the preliminary layer of paint applied to a surface before the final or finished layers are added. In painting, it often establishes the composition, lighting, tonal structure, or broad masses of colour, allowing the artist to make major changes without starting over. Some painters use a thin wash or a monochrome underpainting, while others build a more opaque base that remains partly visible. The word also refers to the practice of working this way, especially in portrait and landscape painting. Although the layer is usually covered, traces may remain visible and can reveal how the artist developed the image. In conservation, an old painting’s underpainting may also be examined to understand its materials and construction. Because it combines a practical painting stage with a distinctive vocabulary, underpainting is especially useful when discussing an artist’s process rather than simply a finished appearance.
nounA preliminary layer of paint applied to a surface before the final layers, often used to establish the composition, tonal structure, or colour masses of a painting. The term can also refer to the technique of creating such a foundational layer.
- A preliminary layer of paint applied beneath a painting’s final layers.
- The artistic technique of establishing a composition or tonal foundation with such an initial layer.
"The painter allowed traces of the dark underpainting to remain visible beneath the final layers."
"She adjusted the proportions of the figure while working over the blue underpainting."
"The conservation report described the underpainting as an opaque red layer beneath the visible green paint."
The plural is regular and is used when referring to distinct preliminary painted layers or separate works featuring them.
"Several early underpaintings reveal substantial changes in the composition."
An underpainting is a painting’s hidden blueprint—the best place to see how an artist’s decisions developed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does underpainting come from?
Underpainting is a compound formed from the Germanic word under and the verb paint. Paint came through Old French from Latin pingere, meaning “to paint,” while the present English verb paint developed through the related forms paint and painted. The compound underpainting developed after painting was established and denotes the paint applied underneath later layers.
Related word forms
How underpainting is actually used
This is primarily an art and conservation term. In painting, it usually denotes an initial painted layer rather than a generic preparatory coating such as primer.
Easily confused with underpainting
A primer is a preparatory coating designed chiefly to seal or improve adhesion, whereas an underpainting is a broader artistic layer that may establish composition, tone, and colour.