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Gesso (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒɛsso]; "chalk", from the Template:Lang-la, from Template:Lang-el) is a white paint mixture consisting of a binder mixed with chalk, gypsum, pigment, or any combination of these.^[1] It is used in artwork as a preparation for any number of substrates such as wood panels, canvas and sculpture as a base for paint and other materials that are applied over it.

Description

"Gesso", also known "glue gesso" or "Italian gesso"^[2] is a traditional mix of an animal glue binder (usually rabbit-skin glue), chalk, and white pigment, used to coat rigid surfaces such as wooden painting panels as an absorbent primer coat substrate for painting. The colour of gesso is usually white or off-white. Its absorbency makes it work with all painting media, including water-based media, different types of tempera and oil paint. It is also used as a base on three-dimensional surfaces for the application of paint or gold leaf.^[3] Mixing and applying it is an art form in itself as it is usually applied in 10 or more extremely thin layers. It is a permanent substrate used on wood, masonite and other surfaces. The standard hide glue mixture is rather brittle and susceptible to cracking, thus making it suitable for rigid surfaces only.

In geology, the Italian "gesso" corresponds to the English "gypsum", a calcium sulfate mineral (CaSO₄·2H₂O).

Variations

Half-chalk ground

For priming flexible canvas, an emulsion of gesso and linseed oil, also called "half-chalk ground", is used.^[4]

Acrylic gesso

Acrylic gesso is a mixture of white pigment and some kind of filler (chalk, silica, etc) and acrylic resin dispersed in water. It produces a soft, flexible non-absorbent surface that is technically not gesso at all (although it is commonly called that by its manufactuteres).^[5]^[6] It can contain calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) to increase the absorbency of the primer coat as well as titanium dioxide or "titanium white" as a whitening agent. It is sold premixed for both sizing and priming panels and flexible canvas for painting. Art supply manufacturers market canvases pre-primed with acrylic gesso.

Acrylic gesso can be colored, either commercially by replacing the titanium white with another pigment, such as carbon black, or by the artist directly, with the addition of an acrylic paint. Acrylic gesso can be odorous, due to the presence of ammonia and/or formaldehyde, which are added in small amounts as preservatives.

Acrylic gesso's non-absorbent acrylic polymer base makes it incompatible with media that require traditional gesso such as egg tempera.^[7] The Painter's Handbook notes a problem with using oil paints over an acrylic gesso ground instead of a traditional oil ground, citing a mismatch in flexibility over time that could cause the oil paint to delaminate.^[8]

Use in sculpture

Gesso is used by sculptors to prepare the shape of the final sculpture (fused bronze) or directly as a material for sculpting. Gesso can also be used as a layer between sculpted wood and gold leaf. In this case, a layer of refined and coloured clay, called ‘bole’ is used to cover the gesso before applying the gold. This is usually red in colour.

References and sources

References

^ Daniel Varney Thompson. The materials and techniques of medieval painting. p. 32. Retrieved 2014-04-09 – via Books.google.com.
^ The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference by Mark David Gottsegen. p. 321 Archived June 3, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
^ Lettering & Calligraphy Workbook. Diagram Group. p. 148. Retrieved 2014-04-09 – via Books.google.com.
^ The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference by Mark David Gottsegen, p. 64
^ The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference, by Mark David Gottsegen. p. 321 Archived June 3, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
^ Michael Friel (2010). Still Life Painting Atelier: An Introduction to Oil Painting. Random House Digital, Inc. p. 58. Retrieved 2014-04-09 – via Books.google.com.
^ Altoon Sultan. Luminous Brush: Painting with Egg Tempera. p. 33. Retrieved 2014-04-09 – via Books.google.com.
^ Gottsegen, Mark David (2006). Painter's Handbook: Revised and Expanded (Revised, Expanded ed.). New York: Watson-Guptill. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8230-3496-3.

Sources

"The Technique of Raised Gilding" by Jerry Tresser, 1992.

External links

Media related to Gesso at Wikimedia Commons

[1] Daniel Varney Thompson. The materials and techniques of medieval painting. p. 32. Retrieved 2014-04-09 – via Books.google.com.

[2] The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference by Mark David Gottsegen. p. 321 Archived June 3, 2015, at the Wayback Machine

[3] Lettering & Calligraphy Workbook. Diagram Group. p. 148. Retrieved 2014-04-09 – via Books.google.com.

[4] The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference by Mark David Gottsegen, p. 64

[5] The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference, by Mark David Gottsegen. p. 321 Archived June 3, 2015, at the Wayback Machine

[6] Michael Friel (2010). Still Life Painting Atelier: An Introduction to Oil Painting. Random House Digital, Inc. p. 58. Retrieved 2014-04-09 – via Books.google.com.

[7] Altoon Sultan. Luminous Brush: Painting with Egg Tempera. p. 33. Retrieved 2014-04-09 – via Books.google.com.

[8] Gottsegen, Mark David (2006). Painter's Handbook: Revised and Expanded (Revised, Expanded ed.). New York: Watson-Guptill. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8230-3496-3.

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@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 '''Gesso''' ({{IPA-it|ˈdʒɛsso}}; "[[chalk]]", from the {{lang-la|[[gypsum]]}}, from {{lang-el|γύψος}}) is a white [[paint]] mixture consisting of a [[Binder (material)|binder]] mixed with [[chalk]], [[gypsum]], [[pigment]], or any combination of these.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I1DFuGQeG10C&pg=PA32 |title=The materials and techniques of medieval painting |author= Daniel Varney Thompson| page= 32 |via=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2014-04-09}}</ref> It is used in [[work of art|artwork]] as a preparation for any number of substrates such as wood panels, [[canvas]] and sculpture as a base for paint and other materials that are applied over it.
+==Description==
-==Traditional gesso==
-"''Gesso''", also known "glue gesso" or "Italian gesso"<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=o23u0SuRLxsC&pg=PA321 ''The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference'' by Mark David Gottsegen. p. 321] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603155459/https://books.google.com/books?id=o23u0SuRLxsC&pg=PA321 |date=June 3, 2015 }}</ref> is a traditional mix of an animal glue binder (usually [[rabbit-skin glue]]), chalk, and white pigment, used to coat rigid surfaces such as wooden [[panel painting|painting panels]] as an absorbent [[Primer (paint)|primer]] coat substrate for [[painting]]. The colour of gesso is usually white or off-white. Its absorbency makes it work with all painting media, including water-based media, different types of [[tempera]] and [[oil paint]]. It is also used as a base on three-dimensional surfaces for the application of paint or [[gold leaf]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OHa9dxrh5g0C&pg=PA148 |title=Lettering & Calligraphy Workbook |publisher= Diagram Group| page= 148 |via=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2014-04-09}}</ref> Mixing and applying it is an art form in itself as it is usually applied in 10 or more extremely thin layers. It is a permanent substrate used on wood, [[masonite]] and other surfaces. The standard hide glue mixture is rather brittle and susceptible to cracking, thus making it suitable for rigid surfaces only. For priming flexible [[canvas]], an [[emulsion]] of gesso and [[linseed oil]], also called "half-chalk ground", is used.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160624135136/https://books.google.com/books?id=o23u0SuRLxsC&pg=PA64 ''The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference'' by Mark David Gottsegen, p. 64]</ref>
+"''Gesso''", also known "glue gesso" or "Italian gesso"<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=o23u0SuRLxsC&pg=PA321 ''The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference'' by Mark David Gottsegen. p. 321] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603155459/https://books.google.com/books?id=o23u0SuRLxsC&pg=PA321 |date=June 3, 2015 }}</ref> is a traditional mix of an animal glue binder (usually [[rabbit-skin glue]]), chalk, and white pigment, used to coat rigid surfaces such as wooden [[panel painting|painting panels]] as an absorbent [[Primer (paint)|primer]] coat substrate for [[painting]]. The colour of gesso is usually white or off-white. Its absorbency makes it work with all painting media, including water-based media, different types of [[tempera]] and [[oil paint]]. It is also used as a base on three-dimensional surfaces for the application of paint or [[gold leaf]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OHa9dxrh5g0C&pg=PA148 |title=Lettering & Calligraphy Workbook |publisher= Diagram Group| page= 148 |via=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2014-04-09}}</ref> Mixing and applying it is an art form in itself as it is usually applied in 10 or more extremely thin layers. It is a permanent substrate used on wood, [[masonite]] and other surfaces. The standard hide glue mixture is rather brittle and susceptible to cracking, thus making it suitable for rigid surfaces only.
 In geology, the Italian "gesso" corresponds to the English "gypsum", a calcium sulfate mineral (CaSO<sub>4</sub>·2H<sub>2</sub>O).
+==Variations==
-=== Use in sculpture ===
-{{unreferenced section|date=October 2014}}
-Gesso is used by [[sculpture|sculptors]] to prepare the shape of the final sculpture (fused bronze) or directly as a material for sculpting.
-Gesso can also be used as a layer between sculpted wood and gold leaf. In this case, a layer of refined and coloured clay, called ‘bole’ is used to cover the gesso before applying the gold. This is usually red in colour.
-==Acrylic "gesso"==
+===Half-chalk ground===
+For priming flexible [[canvas]], an [[emulsion]] of gesso and [[linseed oil]], also called "half-chalk ground", is used.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160624135136/https://books.google.com/books?id=o23u0SuRLxsC&pg=PA64 ''The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference'' by Mark David Gottsegen, p. 64]</ref>
-Modern "[[Acrylic paint|acrylic]] gesso" is a widely used ground<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DCN21wUqnS8C&pg=PA28 |title=Elizabeth Tolley, Oil Painter's Solution Book – Landscapes: Over 100 Answers to Your Oil Painting| page =28 |via=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2014-04-09}}</ref> that is a combination of [[calcium carbonate]] with an acrylic polymer, medium [[latex]], a [[pigment]] and other chemicals that ensure flexibility, and increase archival life. It is technically not ''gesso'' at all.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=o23u0SuRLxsC&pg=PA321 ''The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference'', by Mark David Gottsegen. p. 321] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603155459/https://books.google.com/books?id=o23u0SuRLxsC&pg=PA321 |date=June 3, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQkf05ZPoysC&pg=PA56 |author=Michael Friel |title=Still Life Painting Atelier: An Introduction to Oil Painting|publisher= Random House Digital, Inc| page =58 |via=Books.google.com |date=2010 |accessdate=2014-04-09}}</ref>
+===Acrylic gesso===
-Its non-absorbent acrylic polymer base makes it incompatible with media that require traditional gesso such as egg tempera.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CU56YgWzIM8C&pg=PA33 |author=Altoon Sultan|title= Luminous Brush: Painting with Egg Tempera| page =33 |via=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2014-04-09}}</ref> It is sold premixed for both [[sizing]] and priming panels and flexible [[canvas]] for [[painting]]. While it does contain calcium carbonate (CaCO<sub>3</sub>) to increase the absorbency of the primer coat, [[titanium dioxide]] or "titanium white" is often added as the whitening agent.
+Acrylic gesso is a mixture of white pigment and some kind of filler (chalk, silica, etc) and [[acrylic resin]] dispersed in water. It produces a soft, flexible non-absorbent surface that is technically not ''gesso'' at all (although it is commonly called that by its manufactuteres).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=o23u0SuRLxsC&pg=PA321 ''The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference'', by Mark David Gottsegen. p. 321] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603155459/https://books.google.com/books?id=o23u0SuRLxsC&pg=PA321 |date=June 3, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQkf05ZPoysC&pg=PA56 |author=Michael Friel |title=Still Life Painting Atelier: An Introduction to Oil Painting|publisher= Random House Digital, Inc| page =58 |via=Books.google.com |date=2010 |accessdate=2014-04-09}}</ref> It can contain calcium carbonate (CaCO<sub>3</sub>) to increase the absorbency of the primer coat as well as [[titanium dioxide]] or "titanium white" as a whitening agent. It is sold premixed for both [[sizing]] and priming panels and flexible [[canvas]] for [[painting]]. Art supply manufacturers market canvases pre-primed with acrylic gesso.
+Acrylic gesso can be colored, either commercially by replacing the titanium white with another pigment, such as [[carbon black]], or by the artist directly, with the addition of an [[acrylic paint]]. Acrylic gesso can be odorous, due to the presence of [[ammonia]] and/or [[formaldehyde]], which are added in small amounts as preservatives.
+Acrylic gesso's non-absorbent acrylic polymer base makes it incompatible with media that require traditional gesso such as egg tempera.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CU56YgWzIM8C&pg=PA33 |author=Altoon Sultan|title= Luminous Brush: Painting with Egg Tempera| page =33 |via=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2014-04-09}}</ref> ''The Painter's Handbook'' notes a problem with using oil paints over an acrylic gesso ground instead of a traditional oil ground, citing a mismatch in flexibility over time that could cause the oil paint to delaminate.<ref>{{Cite book| edition = Revised, Expanded| publisher = Watson-Guptill| isbn = 978-0-8230-3496-3| last = Gottsegen| first = Mark David| title = Painter's Handbook: Revised and Expanded| location = New York| date = 2006| page=60}}</ref>
-Acrylic gesso can be colored, either commercially by replacing the titanium white with another pigment, such as [[carbon black]], or by the artist directly, with the addition of an acrylic paint. Acrylic gesso can be odorous, due to the presence of [[ammonia]] and/or [[formaldehyde]], which are added in small amounts as preservatives. Art supply manufacturers market canvases pre-primed with gesso.
+== Use in sculpture ==
-''The Painter's Handbook'' notes a problem with using oil paints over an acrylic gesso ground instead of a traditional oil ground, citing a mismatch in flexibility over time that could cause the oil paint to delaminate.<ref>{{Cite book| edition = Revised, Expanded| publisher = Watson-Guptill| isbn = 978-0-8230-3496-3| last = Gottsegen| first = Mark David| title = Painter's Handbook: Revised and Expanded| location = New York| date = 2006| page=60}}</ref>
+{{unreferenced section|date=October 2014}}
+Gesso is used by [[sculpture|sculptors]] to prepare the shape of the final sculpture (fused bronze) or directly as a material for sculpting.
+Gesso can also be used as a layer between sculpted wood and gold leaf. In this case, a layer of refined and coloured clay, called ‘bole’ is used to cover the gesso before applying the gold. This is usually red in colour.
 == See also ==