What is oil painting?

The birth of oil on canvas is generally attributed to the painter Jan Van Eyck in the Middle Ages.

It is an official paternity, because the artists of the fourteenth century were already testing different recipes based on egg white and oil, which was then used as a retouching varnish.

The approach proposed by the Flemish painter has been widely adopted by the painting community. On a marble slab, the painter had the idea of mixing color pigments with a drying oil (linseed or walnut oil) to obtain a soft paste to be applied on a new support: the canvas.

From then on, this painting technique has found an echo for its nobility and complexity. The great Italian painters, like Titian, contributed to the universalization of this art. Painting in oil was considered the prerogative of Impressionism, in that it was the norm in the 19th century.

The industrialization of paint in the form of paint tubes marked the peak of the technique. To paint outdoors, artists used to fill pigs' bellies with the oil mixture.

This practice was particularly restrictive and the commercialization of tubes encouraged painters to go out and practice their art.

If the oil painting has long been considered as the pictorial manifestation par excellence, it is gradually caught up by the democratization of acrylic paint.

The latter has qualities that appeal to contemporary artists, who are gradually moving away from paintings and handmade oil paintings to take advantage of a reduced drying time and optimal conservation of the work.

How is oil painting done?

To paint an oil painting requires a technical know-how and a lot of patience. Although oil has the unique property of giving the work a unique satin sheen, it should be noted that the main characteristic of this paint is that it dries very slowly. It is said to harden because the oxygen in the air will cause a chemical reaction that will solidify the layers.

 

Oil paintings on canvas are particularly difficult but it is possible to start practicing by painting still lifes.
 

The artists must therefore paint a first layer and then wait several weeks for it to dry before continuing the painting in oil. The contemporary generation practices the "alla prima" method, which consists of painting the painting in one go.

You are considering the purchase of an oil painting on canvas? At Carré d'artistes, take the time to admire the oil painting on canvas of our artists who will reveal to you all the finesse and the know-how required by this art.

The advantages of oil painting

The weaknesses of oil painting

Its smell is strong but it disappears with the drying process

The advantages of oil painting give it a rare and unique nobility.

That is why in our online collection you will only find oil paintings on high quality cotton canvas.

Famous artists painters and the oil painting movement    

The most famous are the Van Eyck brothers, for their technical and artistic contribution: Portrait of Arnolfini (1434) is one of the first works in oil on canvas in Europe.

We can cite the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1503-1506) or Christ in the Storm at Lake Tiberias by Rembrandt

Vassily Kandinsky, leads oil painting in a modern turn towards abstraction with squares and concentric circles.