alla prima

[ ah-luh pree-muh ]

noun

, Fine Arts.

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

alla prima

/ ˈɑːlɑː ˈpriːmə /

adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of alla prima¹

< Italian: literally, at the first

Word History and Origins

Origin of alla prima¹

C19: from Italian: at once

Example Sentences

“Just about everyone wears them, irrespective of age — older, younger, bankers, lawyers,” said Yolaida Duran, the owner of Alla Prima Fine Lingerie in San Francisco.

From New York Times

Instead of boiling the pasta in water, try cooking it as you would risotto, gradually stirring in well-flavored vegetable broth until the pasta is al dente, then folding in a generous handful of spring herbs with olive oil and cheese: Pasta Alla Prima, $5.50 for one pound, store.victorybeer.com; Prima Pils, $9.99 for a six-pack at Whole Foods and Fairway markets.

From New York Times

Up from the garden was wafted the odour of roses and syringas, while above the swampy atmosphere of the lagunes, and mingling with the plash of waters at the base of the old palaces, floated sweet, sad melodies,--the songs of the evening minstrels of Venice,-- "Vorrei baciar i tuoi capelli neri," and "Penso alla prima volta in cui volgesti Lo sguardo soave in sino a me!"

From Project Gutenberg

El Greco, Velázquez and other golden age masters worked out their visions “alla prima”: right on the canvas.

From New York Times

They were imagined on the spot, alla prima.

From Time Magazine Archive