Oil painting

Oil painting is a special way of creating art using pigments combined with a drying oil as the binder. For many centuries, it has been the most common way to paint on canvas, wood panel, or copper. Oil paints have many advantages, like giving artists more flexibility, richer colors, the ability to build up layers, and a wider range of light and dark tones.

The oldest known oil paintings were made by Buddhist artists in Afghanistan, and they date back to the 7th century AD. Later, Europeans began using oil paint for painting statues and woodwork from at least the 12th century. It became very popular for painted images during the Early Netherlandish painting time in Northern Europe. By the height of the Renaissance, oil painting had mostly replaced egg tempera paints for panel paintings in Europe, though icons and wall paintings still often used tempera and fresco.

Artists commonly use drying oils such as linseed oil, poppy seed oil, walnut oil, and safflower oil. These oils give the paint different qualities, like how much it yellows or how long it takes to dry. Paint can be made thinner with turpentine. Depending on the oil used, the paint can look different in its sheen. Artists might use several oils in one painting to get the effects they want with different pigments. The oil can also be mixed with a resin, like pine resin or frankincense, to make a varnish that protects the painting and adds texture. The paint can also be shaped into different textures based on its plasticity.

Techniques

Traditional oil painting starts with an artist sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint. Oil paint is often mixed with linseed oil, artist grade mineral spirits, or other solvents to make it thinner and change how fast it dries. A key rule is to apply layers from "'fat over lean](/w/3)'," meaning each new layer should have more oil than the one below to avoid cracking.

Painters can use tools like paintbrushes or palette knives to apply the paint. Oil paint stays wet longer than many other paints, allowing artists to adjust colors and shapes. Over time, the paint dries through oxidation and is usually ready to touch in about two weeks.

History

The earliest surviving oil paintings are Buddhist murals from around 650 AD in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, located along the Silk Road. These artworks show a variety of colors and ingredients, including a final varnish layer. The use of oil to bind pigments appears to have been practiced in Asia long before it was known in Europe.

By the 12th century, a monk named Theophilus Presbyter wrote about oil-based painting, likely for use on sculptures and wood, especially for outdoor items. Later, artists such as Jan van Eyck and Robert Campin in the 15th century began using oil paint regularly, exploring layers and glazes. Canvas became a popular surface for oil paintings because it was cheaper and easier to transport than wood. By the 16th century, oil painting had spread widely across Europe.

Ingredients

Oil painting uses two main ingredients: a pigment and a drying oil. Common oils include linseed oil, made from flax seeds, as well as safflower oil, walnut oil, and poppyseed oil. These oils help the paint dry and can change how fast the paint dries and how yellow it becomes.

Painters can add other ingredients to change the paint’s properties, like siccatives to make it dry faster. Today, there are also modern water miscible oil paints that can be cleaned up with water. Some older pigments, like lead white, were popular but are now limited because they can be harmful.

Supports for oil painting

Early oil paintings were often made on wooden panels, which were carefully prepared but could warp over time. Artists later began using canvas, especially for larger works, because it was lighter and more affordable. Canvas was made from materials like linen or cotton and stretched over a wooden frame called a stretcher.

Artists also used other surfaces like copper plates or ivory for very small, detailed paintings. Today, some artists use modern materials like aluminium composite panels or attach canvas to sturdy boards. Canvas has remained the most popular surface for oil painting since the 16th century, though wooden panels were used for many years because they provided a very firm surface for fine details.

Process

Oil paint is made by mixing pigments with an oil. Today, artists usually buy their paints in paint tubes. They use an artist's palette to mix colors. Pigments can come from minerals, plants, or synthetic chemicals.

Artists most often use a brush to apply oil paint. Brushes can be made from animal hair, like hog or weasel, or from synthetic materials. Different brushes are used for different effects — some are good for details, while others are better for big areas of color. Some artists also use tools like knives or even their fingers to apply paint.

Old masters used thin layers called "glazes" to let light shine through. Later artists, like the Impressionist painters, often worked more quickly, blending wet paint directly on the canvas. When the painting is finished and dry, some artists add a layer of varnish to protect it.

Examples of famous works

Some famous oil paintings include the Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck from 1434 and La donna velata by Raphael from 1516. Other well-known works are The Raising of the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens and The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt.

Later examples include Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son by Claude Monet from 1875 and Bal du moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir from 1876. Modern masterpieces such as Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso from 1907 and Nighthawks by Edward Hopper from 1942 also showcase the lasting impact of oil painting.