Impressionism was a style of painting that utilized the alla prima method through small brushstrokes, applied quickly to the canvas. The artists were more concerned with providing an impression of an image, through use of color and depiction of light, rather than a direct representation. Claude Monet was a French Impressionist famous for working quickly in order to capture the effects of weather and light on his subject matter. Characteristics of alla prima are best illustrated in his "Impression Sunrise," painted in 1872.
Expressionist artists painted their subject matter according to their own moods and feelings. Often portraying distorted images, designed to evoke an emotional response, painting alla prima enabled them to convey their feelings immediately. A self portrait, painted by the German artist Karl Schmidt-Rottluff in 1906, is a frenzied mass of brushstrokes in vivid blues, greens and yellows. The long, wavy strokes, depicting a sense of fluidity and movement, indicate that the paint was applied rapidly.
The Cubist painting style aimed to break down the subject, rearrange it and then reassemble it in abstract form. The artist was attempting to view an object from several different angles, in order to give the subject matter greater depth. Pablo Picasso was a leader in Cubism and painted "A Glass of Absinthe" in 1911 using the alla prima technique. It's a complex image that juxtaposes a glass of absinthe on a tabletop within a café. As the objects become jumbled together, a sense of chaotic movement is created.
Baroque artist Frans Hal was a founder of the alla prima method during the 17th century. Primarily a portrait painter, his informal compositions and loose brushwork created the liveliness and sense of immediacy associated with this method. His famous work "The Laughing Cavalier" depicts a sense of freedom and light-heartedness, through the knowing smile and relaxed pose of his subject. Hal's work was admired by many other artists due to his unique, liberated style.