374:
497:
20:
587:
414:
485:
a painting might take months or years to finish, which might disappoint an anxious patron. Oil paints blend well with each other, making subtle variations of color possible as well as creating many details of light and shadow. Oil paints can be diluted with turpentine or other thinning agents, which artists take advantage of to paint in layers.
74:; the technique was perhaps not invented there. Oil-based paints made their way to Europe by the 12th century and were used for simple decoration, mostly on wood, but oil painting did not begin to be adopted as an artistic medium there until the early 15th century. Common modern applications of oil paint are in finishing and protection of
682:. These pigments strongly varied in price, transparency, and lightfastness. They included both inorganic and organic substances, the latter often being far less permanent. The painter bought them from specialized traders, "color men", and let his apprentices grind them with oil in his studio to obtain paint of the desired
484:
The advantage of the slow-drying quality of oil paint is that an artist can develop a painting gradually. Earlier media such as egg tempera dried quickly, which prevented the artist from making changes or corrections. With oil-based paints, revising was comparatively easy. The disadvantage is that
389:
and glass syringes as the primary tool of paint transport. Artists, or their assistants, previously ground each pigment by hand, carefully mixing the binding oil in the proper proportions. Paints could now be produced in bulk and sold in tin tubes with a cap. The cap could be screwed back on and the
121:
The technical history of the introduction and development of oil paint, and the date of introduction of various additives (driers, thinners) is still—despite intense research since the mid 19th century—not well understood. The literature abounds with incorrect theories and information: in general,
465:
one hundred grams of oil can absorb. Oils with an iodine number greater than 130 are considered drying, those with an iodine number of 115–130 are semi-drying, and those with an iodine number of less than 115 are non-drying. Linseed oil, the most prevalent vehicle for artists' oil paints, is a
638:
organic and inorganic pigments have been introduced since the nineteenth century. Natural pigments have the advantage of being well understood through centuries of use, but synthetics have greatly increased the spectrum of available colors, and many have a high level of
568:(a round, flat-bottomed glass instrument with a handgrip). Pigment and oil are ground together 'with patience' until a smooth, ultra-fine paste is achieved. This paste is then placed into jars or metal paint tubes and labeled. Modern industrial production uses
390:
paints preserved for future use, providing flexibility and efficiency to painting outdoors. The manufactured paints had a balanced consistency that the artist could thin with oil, turpentine, or other mediums.
564:. By hand, the process involves first mixing the paint pigment with the linseed oil to a crumbly mass on a glass or marble slab. Then, a small amount at a time is ground between the slab and a glass
540:
may be used as alternatives to linseed oil for a variety of reasons. For example, safflower and poppy oils are paler than linseed oil and allow for more vibrant whites straight from the tube.
282:
were commonly known to early painters. However, the difficulty in acquiring and working the materials meant that they were rarely used (and indeed the slow drying was seen as a disadvantage).
516:
plant. Modern processes use heat or steam to produce refined varieties of oil with fewer impurities, but many artists prefer cold-pressed oils. Other vegetable oils such as
602:
The color of oil paint is derived from small particles of colored pigments mixed with the carrier, the oil. Common pigment types include mineral salts such as white oxides:
646:
When oil paint was first introduced in the arts, basically the same limited range of available pigments were used that had already been applied in tempera: yellow ochre,
263:
due to its long drying time. Oil paint was mainly used as it is today in house decoration, as a tough waterproof cover for exposed woodwork, especially outdoors.
556:
are sometimes used to modify its chemical properties. In this way, the paint can be made to dry more quickly (if that is desired), or to have varying levels of
749:. Though having mainly an industrial application, these pigments by the twenty-first century had largely replaced traditional types in artistic oil paint also.
341:, or lead (II) oxide. The new mixture had a honey-like consistency and better drying properties (drying evenly without cracking). This mixture was known as
905:
757:
Many of the historical pigments were dangerous, and many pigments still in use are highly toxic. Some of the most poisonous pigments, such as
1039:
961:
90:. The thickness of the coat has considerable bearing on the time required for drying: thin coats of oil paint dry relatively quickly.
306:, or works combining tempera and oil painting, and by the 16th-century easel painting in pure oils had become the norm. The claim by
1025:
944:
82:
and exposed metal structures such as ships and bridges. Its hard-wearing properties and luminous colors make it desirable for both
446:
Traditional oil paints require an oil that always hardens, forming a stable, impermeable film. Such oils are called causative, or
337:, whom Vasari wrongly credited with the introduction of oil paint to Italy, does seem to have improved the formula by adding
488:
There is also another kind of oil paint that is water-mixable, making the cleaning and using process easier and less toxic.
122:
anything published before 1952 is suspect. Until 1991 nothing was known about the organic aspect of cave paintings from the
66:
The earliest surviving examples of oil paint have been found in Asia from as early as the 7th century AD, in examples of
437:(bottom). The order of drying rate is linolenic > linoleic > oleic acid, reflecting their degree of unsaturation.
295:
947:
815:
557:
153:, "using walnut, poppy seed oils, Linseed oil and castor oil." In some regions, this technique is referred to as the
850:
87:
560:. Modern oils paints can, therefore, have complex chemical structures; for example, affecting resistance to
178:
373:
294:
paints became insufficient to achieve the very detailed and precise effects that oil could achieve. The
921:
889:
797:
430:
349:
later improved these techniques by cooking the mixture at a very low temperature and adding 5 to 10%
334:
256:
190:
902:
496:
86:
and exterior use on wood and metal. Due to its slow-drying properties, it has recently been used in
83:
762:
635:
615:
401:." For the impressionists, tubed paints offered an easily accessible variety of colors for their
198:
189:
was not used as a medium because of its tendency to dry very slowly, darken, and crack, unlike
1035:
1021:
940:
830:
346:
131:
769:
690:
611:
607:
565:
29:
1055:
909:
840:
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Many pigments are toxic to some degree. Commonly used reds and yellows are produced using
651:
569:
451:
382:
271:
205:
330:
state—or he may have simply used sun-thickened oils (slightly oxidized by Sun exposure).
322:
with a skill hardly equaled since. Van Eyck's mixture may have consisted of piled glass,
314:"invented" oil painting, while it has cast a long shadow, is not correct, but van Eyck's
785:
742:
738:
734:
478:
299:
259:, a 12th-century German monk, recommended linseed oil but advocated against the use of
166:
150:
79:
75:
19:
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702:
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533:
529:
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458:
426:
398:
217:
174:
106:
24:
693:, new pigments became known in Europe, most of the organic and earthy type, such as
938:(exhibition catalogue). New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art Yale University Press.
835:
746:
659:
549:
402:
311:
303:
225:
182:
170:
149:. The works are located in cave-like rooms carved from the cliffs of Afghanistan's
98:
56:
890:""Flesh is the reason oil paint was invented": Chaim Soutine at the Jewish Museum"
393:
Paint in tubes also changed the way some artists approached painting. The artist
318:
of oil paint achieved novel results in terms of precise detail and mixing colors
255:
were aware of these ancient books and used the techniques in their own artworks.
825:
796:, are made with cobalt compounds. Some varieties of cobalt violet are made with
789:
781:
758:
706:
667:
631:
561:
537:
505:
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386:
323:
275:
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The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as
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60:
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525:
454:
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319:
229:
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154:
113:
medium can also be used to modify the viscosity and drying time of oil paint.
94:
48:
999:
H. Gluck, "The
Impermanences of Painting in Relation to Artists' Materials",
232:, and linseed. When thickened, the oils became resinous and could be used as
773:
698:
683:
671:
655:
474:
413:
354:
260:
245:
63:, but oil paint has many practical uses, mainly because it is waterproof.
777:
726:
722:
714:
517:
338:
241:
221:
67:
663:
630:. Still another group of pigments comes from living organisms, such as
581:
350:
327:
326:
bones, and mineral pigments boiled in linseed oil until they reached a
291:
267:
237:
233:
102:
44:
623:
553:
462:
394:
358:
307:
481:. The rate of this process can be very slow, depending on the oil.
290:
As the public preference for naturalism increased, the quick-drying
236:
to seal and protect paintings from water. Additionally, when yellow
709:. In the nineteenth century, synthetic ultramarine was introduced,
647:
627:
619:
595:
585:
495:
422:
412:
372:
134:
is known for saying "Flesh is the reason oil paint was invented".
110:
40:
988:
The Art of
Impressionism: How Impressionism Changed the Art World
875:
Coremans, Gettens, Thissen, La technique des
Primitifs flamands,
737:
and a new range of lightfast synthetic organic pigments, such as
513:
509:
252:
278:
covered by light layers of oil. The slow-drying properties of
701:
expanded the range of pigments, which led to the discovery of
591:
279:
194:
405:
palettes, motivating them to make spontaneous color choices.
381:
The paint tube was invented in 1841 by the portrait painter
457:. One common measure of the causative property of oils is
142:
The oldest known oil paintings are
Buddhist murals created
365:
each may have altered this recipe for their own purposes.
572:
rollers to grind pigment and oil together into a paste.
473:
process like water does. Instead, they dry semisolid by
397:
said, "Without tubes of paint, there would have been no
733:. In the twentieth century, mass production started of
697:. In the eighteenth century, the developing science of
1020:
Viking Adult; 5th revised and updated edition, 1991.
504:
The earliest and still most commonly used vehicle is
181:, there is little evidence to indicate their use as
109:
of the dried oil paint film. The addition of oil or
776:red uses natural or synthetic mercuric sulfide or
165:Though the ancient Mediterranean civilizations of
1018:The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques
936:Antonello da Messina, Sicily's Renaissance Master
912:, Rosella Lorenzi, Discovery News. Feb. 19, 2008.
130:of the binders. Well known Dutch-American artist
500:Three oil paints, one of which is mixed with wax
450:, oils, and are characterized by high levels of
962:"Never Underestimate the Power of a Paint Tube"
425:is derived from three unsaturated fatty acids,
353:, which prevented the darkening of the paint.
59:has been perhaps the most prestigious form in
8:
1034:Watson-Guptill; Revised and expanded, 2006,
469:When exposed to air, oils do not undergo an
266:In the 13th century, oil was used to detail
903:"Oldest Oil Paintings Found in Afghanistan"
240:was added to oil, it could be spread over
126:era. Many assumptions were made about the
274:described a painting technique utilizing
18:
868:
784:and Cremnitz white are made with basic
590:Pigments for sale at a market stall in
788:. Some intense blue colors, including
208:recorded recipes involving the use of
7:
1001:Journal of the Royal Society of Arts
298:of the 15th century saw the rise of
244:as a less expensive alternative to
333:The Flemish-trained or influenced
14:
544:Extraction methods and processing
197:(the latter of which was used in
270:paintings. In the 14th century,
761:(copper(II) acetoarsenite) and
990:. Yale University Press. 2000.
417:Representative component of a
43:that consists of particles of
1:
161:Classical and medieval period
143:
105:may be added to increase the
614:. Another class consists of
296:Early Netherlandish painting
55:. For several centuries the
934:Barbera, Giocchino (2005).
816:Acrylic painting techniques
548:Once the oil is extracted,
1079:
763:orpiment (arsenic sulfide)
579:
968:. Smithsonian Institution
851:Oil painting reproduction
461:, the number of grams of
39:is a type of slow-drying
16:Type of slow-drying paint
765:, have fallen from use.
610:, and the red to yellow
377:Tubes of various colors.
88:paint-on-glass animation
1030:Gottsegen, Mark David.
877:Studies in Conservation
1032:The Painter's Handbook
618:, the main ones being
599:
501:
438:
378:
204:Greek writers such as
33:
908:June 3, 2011, at the
589:
499:
421:, this particular tri
416:
395:Pierre-Auguste Renoir
376:
185:in painting. Indeed,
22:
966:Smithsonian Magazine
922:Theophilus Presbyter
335:Antonello da Messina
257:Theophilus Presbyter
721:, cadmium colours,
508:, pressed from the
302:purely in oils, or
286:Renaissance onwards
1003:, Volume CXII 1964
600:
502:
439:
379:
199:encaustic painting
138:First recorded use
34:
1040:978-0-8230-3496-3
831:List of art media
347:Leonardo da Vinci
132:Willem de Kooning
28:in oil paint, by
1068:
1004:
997:
991:
986:Callen, Anthea.
984:
978:
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951:
939:
931:
925:
919:
913:
900:
894:
893:
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880:
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691:Age of Discovery
612:cadmium pigments
608:titanium dioxide
276:tempera painting
148:
145:
30:Johannes Vermeer
1078:
1077:
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910:Wayback Machine
901:
897:
892:. 13 July 2018.
888:
887:
883:
874:
870:
860:
855:
841:Semi-drying oil
806:
798:cobalt arsenate
755:
652:lead-tin-yellow
584:
578:
546:
494:
452:polyunsaturated
444:
442:Characteristics
431:alpha-linolenic
411:
385:, superseding
383:John Goffe Rand
371:
345:—"cooked oil."
288:
272:Cennino Cennini
210:oils for drying
206:Aetius Amidenus
163:
146:
140:
119:
47:suspended in a
17:
12:
11:
5:
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1016:Mayer, Ralph.
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786:lead carbonate
754:
751:
743:phthalocyanine
739:arylide yellow
735:titanium white
580:Main article:
577:
574:
545:
542:
493:
490:
479:polymerization
443:
440:
433:(middle), and
410:
407:
370:
367:
300:panel painting
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284:
179:vegetable oils
162:
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151:Bamiyan Valley
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15:
13:
10:
9:
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4:
3:
2:
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960:Hurt, Perry.
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945:0-300-11648-9
942:
937:
930:
927:
924:Book I ch. 25
923:
918:
915:
911:
907:
904:
899:
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891:
885:
882:
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872:
869:
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863:Cited sources
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852:
849:
847:
844:
842:
839:
837:
834:
832:
829:
827:
824:
822:
819:
817:
814:
812:
811:Acrylic paint
809:
808:
803:
801:
799:
795:
794:cerulean blue
791:
787:
783:
779:
775:
771:
766:
764:
760:
752:
750:
748:
744:
740:
736:
732:
731:cerulean blue
728:
724:
720:
719:chrome yellow
716:
712:
708:
704:
703:Prussian blue
700:
696:
695:Indian yellow
692:
687:
685:
681:
677:
673:
669:
665:
661:
657:
653:
649:
644:
642:
641:lightfastness
637:
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459:iodine number
456:
453:
449:
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436:
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428:
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420:
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408:
406:
404:
400:
399:impressionism
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147: 650 AD
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125:
116:
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81:
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70:paintings in
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58:
54:
50:
46:
42:
38:
31:
27:
26:
25:View of Delft
21:
1031:
1017:
1011:Bibliography
1010:
1009:
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987:
982:
970:. Retrieved
965:
955:
935:
929:
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884:
876:
871:
862:
861:
836:Oil painting
767:
756:
747:quinacridone
725:, synthetic
688:
645:
601:
547:
538:soybean oils
503:
487:
483:
468:
466:drying oil.
445:
392:
387:pig bladders
380:
342:
332:
315:
312:Jan van Eyck
304:oil painting
289:
280:organic oils
265:
250:
203:
164:
141:
127:
120:
99:white spirit
92:
65:
57:oil painting
36:
35:
23:
826:Egg tempera
790:cobalt blue
782:Flake white
759:Paris green
707:cobalt blue
689:During the
668:ultramarine
632:madder root
616:earth types
506:linseed oil
471:evaporation
455:fatty acids
435:oleic acids
343:oglio cotto
187:linseed oil
157:technique.
124:Paleolithic
72:Afghanistan
61:Western art
53:linseed oil
51:, commonly
1050:Categories
858:References
846:Watercolor
821:Drying oil
711:zinc white
680:lead white
676:lamp black
604:zinc oxide
522:poppy seed
419:drying oil
369:Paint tube
363:Tintoretto
320:wet-on-wet
251:Christian
212:, such as
155:drying oil
107:glossiness
95:turpentine
49:drying oil
774:vermilion
699:chemistry
684:viscosity
672:verdigris
656:vermilion
636:Synthetic
550:additives
534:safflower
530:sunflower
475:oxidation
403:plein air
355:Giorgione
261:olive oil
246:gold leaf
128:chemistry
80:buildings
37:Oil paint
948:(online)
906:Archived
879:1 (1952)
804:See also
778:cinnabar
753:Toxicity
727:alizarin
723:aureolin
715:viridian
552:such as
477:causing
427:linoleic
339:litharge
324:calcined
242:tin foil
226:pine nut
222:hempseed
84:interior
68:Buddhist
950:, p. 14
770:cadmium
664:azurite
582:Pigment
576:Pigment
512:of the
492:Sources
429:(top),
409:Carrier
351:beeswax
328:viscous
292:tempera
268:tempera
238:pigment
234:varnish
117:History
103:varnish
45:pigment
1056:Paints
1038:
1024:
972:18 May
943:
772:, and
660:kermes
624:sienna
566:muller
554:Liquin
536:, and
526:walnut
463:iodine
448:drying
361:, and
359:Titian
308:Vasari
230:castor
214:walnut
191:mastic
173:, and
167:Greece
101:, and
648:umber
628:umber
620:ochre
596:India
558:gloss
423:ester
310:that
253:monks
218:poppy
183:media
177:used
175:Egypt
111:alkyd
41:paint
1061:Oils
1036:ISBN
1022:ISBN
974:2013
941:ISBN
792:and
745:and
729:and
705:and
678:and
626:and
570:mill
518:hemp
514:flax
510:seed
193:and
171:Rome
76:wood
592:Goa
316:use
201:).
195:wax
97:or
78:in
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964:.
800:.
780:.
741:,
717:,
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650:,
643:.
634:.
622:,
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594:,
562:UV
532:,
528:,
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520:,
357:,
248:.
228:,
224:,
220:,
216:,
169:,
144:c.
1042:.
976:.
598:.
32:.
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