Impasto

A Historical Technique

The term ‘impasto’ comes from the 18th century Italian ‘im’ (upon) and ‘pasta’ (a paste). The verb ‘impastare’ also means to dough or paste. Etymologically it is made clear how wonderfully tactile this method of applying paint is. The technique itself was most famously used in the 17th Century when masters like Velazquez and Rembrant used thickly built up areas of paint to depict detailing and fabrics. Impasto has been a favourite technique for artists such as Van Gogh, Jane Frank, and various Impressionist painters.

Our Selection

This Impasto collection showcases a range of textured, expressive and gestural paintings. Discover Bethann Parker’s delicately layered pastoral scenes, Enzo Marra’s small-scale monochrome portraits and Magdalena Morey’s vibrant abstract expressionist seascapes in our new collection.