Palette knife painting is a term used to describe the impasto technique of applying paint to canvas using a painting knife. 19th-century master painter Vincent van Gogh is one artist who was known to use the method. By applying thick daubs of oil paint on canvas, he was able to achieve the swirling, textural work he became famous for. Today, many contemporary artists continue to use painting knives in the same way to create expressive works that appear to come out from the canvas.