Paintings or drawings done entirely in shades of gray, often used to create a monochromatic artistic effect or to simulate sculpture.
From French grisaille, from gris (gray). The technique developed in medieval manuscript illumination and became especially popular in Renaissance and Baroque art.
Renaissance artists used grisaille to practice their skills before using expensive colored pigments—it was like their sketch version, but so beautiful that people still wanted to display them as finished art.
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