Tackling the Alla-Prima!

The alla prima (Italian, meaning at first attempt) is a painting technique, used mostly in oil painting, in which layers of wet paint are applied to previously administered layers of wet paint. This technique requires a fast way of working, because the work has to be finished before the first layers have dried. This process is also often referred to as wet-into-wet, direct painting or by the French term au premier coup meaning at first stroke.

Often, alla prima works contain a substantial abstraction (simplification) of the subject into essentialist qualities, sometimes amplifying the attributes of constancy.

Here is a quick walk-through of the Alla Prima (esp. for those considering the Alla Prima Challenges in our Curricula section). Click for full image and click again to enlarge.:

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