alla prima

[ah-luh pree-muh]

noun

Fine Arts.

1. a painting technique in which a canvas is completed in one session, often having a thickly applied impasto.

alla prima

/ ˈɑːlɑː ˈpriːmə /

adjective

1. (of a painting) painted with a single layer of paint, in contrast to paintings built up layer by layer

Word History and Origins

Origin of alla prima¹

< Italian: literally, at the first

Word History and Origins

Origin of alla prima¹

C19: from Italian: at once