Painting technique in which the artist applies new paint atop a just-painted layer crossword

The wet-on-wet technique also called alla prima, is a common way to handle oil paint. A fresh stroke goes onto paint that is still wet - both layers mingle on the canvas. Because the colours stay open, they fuse and the edge between them softens in one continuous motion. The chief benefit is speed - the picture keeps its freshness. The painter works fast plus direct - the scene is seized in broad, lively marks. Colours placed while wet shift into one another - new hues appear without prior mixing on the palette, often with results that look both surprising and balanced. The method demands steady timing but also a sure hand. If the layers are pushed too long they turn dull - if the touch is hesitant the surface turns patchy. Because the film stays wet, corrections must be made before it sets and fine detail is harder to insert once the earlier paint moves. Even with those limits, many painters stay with wet-on-wet for the freedom it gives. Accepting its unpredictability, they produce images that carry the immediate trace of the hand as well as the mood of the moment.