alla prima

[ ah-luh pree-muh ]
/ ˈɑ lə ˈpri mə /

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

British Dictionary definitions for alla prima

alla prima
/ (ˈɑːlɑː ˈpriːmə) /

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