Paint applied thickly, so it stands out in relief on the painted surface. Vincent van Gogh. The Starry Night (detail). Oil on canvas. 1889. Museum of Modern Art, New York.

(Italian: “at first”).  A technique of oil painting in which a picture is completed in a single application of paint, often with a thick impasto, rather than by the traditional method of building up the image with successive layers.  Also known as direct painting. Vincent van Gogh.  Wheatfield with Crows. Oil on canvas. 1890. Van … Continue reading alla prima →