Term for paint that is thickly applied to a canvas or panel so that it stands in relief and retains the marks of the brush or palette knife. Early panel paintings show little impasto, but with the adoption of oil painting on canvas, painters such as Titian and Rembrandt explored the possibilities of the technique . Impressionist works may be heavily impasted in many areas.
Rupert Featherstone
From Grove Art Online
© 2009 Oxford University Press











