Alla prima describes painting oil paints in what manner?

• A. Painting dry layers before applying new paint
• B. Painting wet onto wet layers that have not dried
• C. Painting with acrylics
• D. Painting with thin glazes only

Answer: (B)

Alla prima is a wet-on-wet approach in oil painting, where you apply new paint to areas that are still wet from the previous layer and complete the work in one session. This allows colors to blend directly on the canvas, creating spontaneous transitions, soft edges, and a sense of immediacy that’s hard to achieve when waiting for each layer to dry. Because oil paint stays workable for a while, you can mix and push values and tones in one sitting, keeping the painting cohesive and energized.

This differs from painting dry layers before applying new paint, which creates separate, distinct passes and more defined edges. It also differs from glazing, where you add thin, transparent layers after earlier ones have dried to build color slowly over time. While the term is traditionally tied to oil painting, the idea of painting quickly in one go emphasizes the live blending and direct execution that defines this method.