underpainting

thumb | right | alt=Jan van Eyck, Saint Barbara of Nicodemy, oil on panel, dead paint or underpainting that was not further finished apart from the aerial party. | Jan van Eyck, Saint Barbara of Nicodemy, oil on panel, dead paint or underpainting that was not further finished apart from the aerial party. In art, an underpainting is an initial layer of paint applied to a ground, which serves as a base for subsequent layers of paint. Underpaintings are often monochromatic and help to define color values for later painting. Underpainting gets its name because it is painting that is intended to be painted over (see overpainting) in a system of working in layers.

There are several different types of underpainting, such as veneda, verdaccio, morellone, imprimatura and grisaille. The different types have different colourings. Grisaille is plain grey. Verdaccio is a grey tending towards yellow or green that brings out more luminous tones, while imprimatura uses earth tones.