brunaille means consisting of shades of brown, painted or executed with shades of brown, brown monochrome. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 84 out of 100.
Why “brunaille” is a great word
BRUNAILLE — [Noun, Adjective] A monochromatic work of art, or its technique, executed exclusively in shades of brown. From French brunaille, from brun ("brown"), with the suffix -aille forming a noun denoting a type or style; modeled after grisaille. Sources indicate the term originated in early 17th-century France. Unlike grisaille, which sculpts form in grays like stone, or verdaille, which cloaks a scene in the greens of a perpetual forest, brunaille speaks in the language of earth and time. It is the umber of a preparatory under-painting, the sepia study of a sculptor's model under a dusty skylight, and the tobacco-stained patina of an Old Master's varnish—a chromatic reduction that conjures depth and memory from a single, humble substance.
Etymology
From French brunaille, from brun (“brown”). Compare grisaille.
adj
- Consisting of shades of brown, painted or executed with shades of brown, brown monochrome.“A corporate desire for identity and recognition also helps to explain the unusual coincidence of a traditional brunaille exterior in conjunction with a crowded, lively, visually striking interior painted in the most novel, fashionable, local style.”
noun
- A method of painting or other work that uses shades of brown primarily or exclusively.“Genre paintings in grisaille (grey monochrome) or brunaille (brown monochrome) by Adriaen van de Venne represent a special chapter in Dutch art history.”
- An artwork or study executed in this style.“Paintings of this kind are known as brunailles – by analogy with grisailles, which are paintings done mainly in grey.”