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alla prima
alla prima. Method of painting, primarily in oils, in which the finished surface is achieved in a single application of paint rather than through the traditional method of building up successive layers. Alla prima is Italian for ‘at first’; synonymous terms are ‘direct painting’, ‘wet on wet’, and the French au premier coup (at first stroke). Direct painting was practised from the 17th century (for example by Hals), but it was not until the middle of the 19th century that it became the chief method in oil painting. Its growing popularity was connected with the availability of commercial paints of a buttery consistency, as well as with Romantic ideas about spontaneity of expression.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "alla prima." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "alla prima." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-allaprima.html IAN CHILVERS. "alla prima." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-allaprima.html |
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alla prima
alla prima Method of painting, primarily in oils, in which the finished surface is achieved in a single application of paint rather than through the traditional method of building up successive layers. Alla prima is Italian for ‘at first’; synonymous terms are ‘direct painting’, ‘wet on wet’, and the French au premier coup (at first stroke). Direct painting was practised from the 17th century (for example by Hals), but it was not until the middle of the 19th century that it became the chief method in oil painting. Its growing popularity was connected with the availability of commercial paints of a buttery consistency, as well as with Romantic ideas about spontaneity of expression.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "alla prima." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "alla prima." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-allaprima.html IAN CHILVERS. "alla prima." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-allaprima.html |
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