Impasto
Technique of applying thick layers of paint to canvas
Impasto is a technique of applying oil or acrylic paint in very dense, textured layers so that brush strokes, marks, and sometimes palette knife impressions remain visible on the surface of the painting. This creates an expressive relief: the paint literally "protrudes" from the canvas plane, and light and shadow play on the unevenness, adding extra depth and volume.
This technique is popular among Impressionist and Expressionist artists (for example, Van Gogh or Aivazovsky). Impasto allows emotions and movement to be conveyed on canvas, making each work unique. Sometimes amusing cases occur when viewers, unaware of the technique, mistake the thick layers for poorly preserved plaster!
Artists use various tools: brushes, palette knives, even their own fingers, to create unusual effects and express mood through the material of painting.