The Daily Book of Art

DAY 241

ART 101

A Brief History of Oil Painting

FROM PIGS’ BLADDERS TO METAL TUBES

 

Before oils, Western artists painted with tempera—a mixture of pigment and egg binder that dried quickly, didn’t allow for soft blends, and cracked over time. In the 15^th century, Jan van Eyck and his fellow Flemish artists of the time popularized the use of oils in Western painting, layering it in thin glazes to create subtle variations in light and shadow. His painting The Arnolfini Marriage (page 292) is often credited as one of the first examples of great oil technique and is thought to have paved the way for a new level of realism in art.

 

Early ...