alla prima

[ah-luh pree-muh]

noun Fine Arts.

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

Origin of alla prima

< Italian: literally, at the first

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British Dictionary definitions for alla prima

alla prima

adjective

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

Word Origin for alla prima

C19: from Italian: at once

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