Alla prima: Italian meaning 'first time.  Also known as direct painting or premier coup painting, alla prima is a method of painting in which the artist applies each stroke of paint to the entire canvas with the intention of letting it stand in the picture as part of the final statement, rather than the traditional method of building the image, applying several layers of paint.

From: Tallulah's Directory of Classical Master Artists Techniques

Additional Information: ALLA PRIMA, Everything I Know About Painting by Richard Schmid.

GottliebStudios.com/Classical_Glossary

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