A preliminary sketch or rough draft of a work of art, especially a painting or sculpture.
Italian word from 'abozzare' meaning 'to sketch'; possibly from 'bozza' (draft). This Italian art term entered English through the influence of Renaissance art criticism and remained a specialized vocabulary word in artistic circles.
When Michelangelo roughed out plans for the Sistine Chapel or Leonardo sketched ideas for flying machines, what they were creating was an 'abbozzo'—Italian artists had a special word for these precious first versions that showed genius in its rawest form.
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