Using Gesso
How Gesso works.
There is nothing to set up. Open the app and start looking. The longer you linger on a work, the more weight it carries — and the better Gesso gets at surfacing the next thing. Here's the whole app in a few minutes.
The core loop
The feed
One artwork at a time, edge to edge. Everything is a gesture — there are no buttons cluttering the work. These are all of them.
Swipe right to like
A green mark confirms and the next work slides in. Likes shape what comes next.
Swipe left to pass
A red mark. Dismissed work stays out of your feed — and it's reversible.
Swipe up for the credit
The image lifts to reveal title, artist, and source. The gesture people miss most.
Tap to open
A detail page with a larger view, similar works, and like, save, and share.
Pinch to zoom
Pinch anywhere — on the feed or the detail page — to inspect a work up close.
Pull to refresh
Flick up to move on without rating; pull down at the top for a fresh run.
Going looking
The Explore tab
For when you want to seek work out, rather than be shown it — by style, artist, gallery, or curation.
Search
Browse and find work by style, artist, gallery, or curation.
Sort & shuffle
Order by for you, name, or date. On for you, shuffle remixes the run.
Filter — and steer away
Tap a style to include it; long-press to exclude one.
Drill into sub-styles
A › on a style opens the sub-styles nested beneath it.
What you keep
Your library
Everything you like, save, and share — plus searches in your own words.
A like vs a save
A like is a taste signal; a save is a bookmark for yourself. Both live here.
Feed or grid
A toggle flips any list between a feed and a grid mosaic.
My styles
Save a search in your own words — dandelions in the wind — and browse it any time.
Interactive works
A badge marks work made to be touched, played, or explored — not only looked at.
The shape of your eye
Your taste
Gesso learns from what you do — and, just as much, from what you linger on.
Your taste profile
A constellation of what you gravitate toward, forming under Profile.
Just looking counts
You don't have to swipe. Time on a work steers the feed too; like and pass are the strong signals.
Discover mode
Feed feeling narrow? Turn it on in Viewing preferences for wider, less-tuned work.
Anonymous
No sign-up. Your taste is never sold or shared, and you can reset it any time.
Worth knowing
The things people miss
Swipe up for the credit
Every work is fully attributed; it's one swipe away.
Long-press to exclude
In filters, a tap includes a style; a hold excludes it.
Undo a dismissal
Profile → Clear data → Disliked brings anything back into your feed.
Replay the tips
Profile → how Gesso works → show the tips again, any time.
Send feedback
The Feedback button in the app reaches us directly.
More answers are on the Gesso FAQ. For anything else, write to support — we read every message. Gesso is anonymous; how we handle your data is in the privacy policy.