What Is Impasto Art? The Textured Art Trend Taking Over Interiors
Share
If you've been browsing interiors, Pinterest or home décor inspiration recently, you may have noticed a growing love for impasto art and textured wall art.
Characterised by expressive brushstrokes, visible texture and a beautiful sense of depth, impasto style artwork has a wonderfully tactile quality that can make a room feel warmer, more layered and full of character.
But what exactly is impasto art, and why has this distinctive painting technique become so popular in modern interiors?
What Is Impasto Art?
Impasto is a traditional painting technique where paint is applied thickly to a surface, often leaving visible brush or palette-knife marks.
Rather than creating a completely smooth painted surface, the artist deliberately allows the paint to build up, creating raised areas, ridges and texture. The uneven surface catches the light, creating subtle highlights and shadows across the artwork.
The technique has been used by artists for centuries, including renowned painters such as Rembrandt and Vincent van Gogh. In landscape painting especially, textured brushwork can add depth and movement to everything from clouds and trees to mountains and fields.
Today, the look of impasto has found a new audience in contemporary interiors, where textured artwork and painterly wall art can add depth and personality to otherwise simple spaces.
Why Is Textured Art So Popular?
One of the reasons textured artwork has become so appealing is that it feels less flat and predictable than traditional wall art.
A heavily painterly image has movement within it. Brushstrokes can draw the eye across the artwork, while variations in texture and colour create a sense of depth.
This makes textured wall art particularly effective in homes with neutral or minimalist interiors.
A simple room can be transformed by adding one large piece of expressive artwork above a sofa, bed or console table.
Instead of competing with the rest of the room, a beautifully textured piece can become the focal point.
Impasto Art and Modern Interiors
You don't need a traditional or highly decorated home to enjoy the look of impasto-inspired artwork.
In fact, textured paintings work beautifully with some of today's most popular interior styles.
Japandi
The calm, natural palette associated with Japandi interiors works particularly well with painterly landscapes and subtle textured artwork.
Look for soft greens, warm neutrals, earthy browns and muted blues to complement natural wood, linen and simple furniture.
Scandinavian
Scandinavian interiors often use light colours and simple shapes. A textured landscape or abstract artwork can introduce warmth and visual interest without making the room feel cluttered.
Coastal
For a coastal interior, look for painterly artwork featuring the sea, beaches, dunes or soft blue and sandy tones.
The expressive quality of oil painting-style coastal art can create a relaxed, lived-in feeling while complementing natural textures such as wood, linen and rattan.
Country and Cottage Interiors
Countryside artwork and painterly animal scenes are a natural fit for country homes.
Landscape paintings, woodland scenes and animal artwork can add warmth and character while reinforcing the connection between the home and the natural world.
Impasto vs Textured Wall Art
You may see the terms impasto art, textured art, textured wall art and oil painting style artwork used together, but they aren't necessarily describing exactly the same thing.
True impasto refers specifically to the physical application of thick paint, where the paint itself stands proud of the surface.
A printed reproduction of an impasto painting can reproduce the appearance of those brushstrokes and shadows, but the printed surface itself remains flat.
This distinction is important when shopping for artwork.
If you love the visual appearance of thick, expressive brushwork but are looking for an affordable way to introduce the look into your home, impasto inspired prints and oil painting style art prints can offer a beautiful alternative to an original textured painting.
How to Style Textured Artwork in Your Home
One of the easiest ways to incorporate the textured art trend into your home is to make the artwork the starting point for your room.
1. Choose one statement piece
A large landscape or animal print above a sofa, sideboard or bed can create an instant focal point.
You don't necessarily need lots of smaller pieces. One beautifully chosen piece of artwork can have far more impact.
2. Keep the surrounding décor simple
If your artwork has lots of movement, colour or painterly detail, allow it room to breathe.
Natural materials such as wood, linen, stone and ceramics work particularly well alongside textured and painterly artwork.
3. Pick up colours from the artwork
Rather than trying to match everything perfectly, choose one or two subtle colours from the artwork and repeat them elsewhere in the room.
For example, soft greens from a countryside painting could be echoed through cushions, ceramics or plants.
4. Mix textures
Textured artwork becomes even more interesting when paired with other tactile materials.
Think:
-
Natural wood
-
Linen
-
Woven baskets
-
Bouclé
-
Ceramic pieces
-
Dried flowers
-
Stone
-
Rattan
The result is a layered interior that feels warm and considered rather than overly coordinated.
Why We Love the Impasto-Inspired Look
At Salt Air Gallery, we're drawn to artwork that feels expressive, atmospheric and full of character.
Our collection of oil painting style artwork takes inspiration from traditional painting techniques, combining painterly brushwork, expressive colour and beautiful landscapes and animals.
From peaceful countryside scenes to coastal landscapes and characterful animal artwork, these pieces are designed to bring the feeling of traditional painting into modern homes.
While our prints are reproductions and therefore have a flat printed surface, the artwork is created to capture the visual qualities we love about impasto-inspired and painterly art expressive marks, rich colour and a sense of depth.
Impasto-Inspired Art for Every Room
The beauty of textured and painterly artwork is that it can work almost anywhere in the home.
A peaceful landscape can create a calming atmosphere in a bedroom.
A coastal painting can bring a relaxed feeling to a living room.
Animal artwork can add personality to a hallway or home office.
And a colourful, expressive piece can become the focal point of a contemporary space.
The key is choosing artwork that feels connected to your home and, most importantly, artwork that you enjoy looking at every day.
Is Impasto Art Right for Your Home?
If you love traditional painting but want something that feels fresh and contemporary, impasto-inspired artwork could be a beautiful choice.
The combination of painterly brushwork, natural colour and expressive detail can bring warmth and personality to minimalist, modern, coastal and countryside interiors alike.
Whether you choose an original textured painting or an affordable art print inspired by the impasto aesthetic, adding painterly artwork to your walls is an easy way to make a room feel more personal.
Discover Painterly & Textured Artwork
At Salt Air Gallery, we create and curate artwork inspired by the beauty of animals, nature and the landscapes around us.
Explore our collection of oil painting-style prints, textured-inspired artwork, countryside scenes, coastal art and animal prints to find a piece that brings character to your home.
Explore Salt Air Gallery's Art Collection
Please note: impasto is a painting technique involving physically raised paint. Our prints reproduce the visual appearance and painterly qualities of textured and impasto-inspired artwork but do not have raised paint on the printed surface.