Oil paintings

Oil paintings

Early oil paintings were painted back in the 5th century in Afghanistan, they were created in the caves of the Bamiyan Valley by Indian and Chinese masters. In the 15th century, in Europe, oil painting changed tempera and became the main technique in the visual arts. Its founder is Flemish / Netherlandish artist Jan van Eyck, experimenting with different mediums on wood panels.

Throughout the 15th century, the artist Pierrot de Francesca mastered oil paints, although his early artwork was characterized by the use of egg tempera. Giovanni Bellini praised such qualities of oil painting as depth and saturation. Perugino and Raphael tended to use both artistic mediums. Already in the first decade of the 16th century, oil paints gained recognition among Italian artists.

Oil painting: fascinating facts

1. Oil paints tend to dry slowly. As a result, the masters had more time to modify their works of art while working on them.
2. This paint is based on a mixture of ground pigment, a binder (usually flaxseed oil) and a diluent (turpentine).
3. Surprisingly, pigments can be made from mineral and organic stones, including semi-precious.
4. The most expensive is ultramarine blue. For its production, lapis lazuli is needed. Before, it was more expensive than gold.
5. Until the XIX century, the creators were engaged in mixing oil paints by hand.
6. There are transparent, translucent or opaque oil paints.
7. This feature gives the artists the opportunity to convey the play of light and shadows.
8. Oil paints do not tend to evaporate. On the contrary, they are characterized by solidification as a result of oxidation.

Genres and characteristics of oil painting

Strokes of oil paints on the paintings can create a convincing illusion of the depth of space. Large and thick tend to move forward. And small strokes seem farther. A similar optical effect emphasizes the depth of the composition. The direction of the strokes also plays a decisive role. If there are too many accents and textures on the canvas, visual information is perceived worse.

Allocate a works of art in traditional genres:

• Portraits
• Landscapes
• Still life
• Animalism
• Historical, mythological subjects

The advantages of oil paintings on canvas are their characteristic features:

1. Durability. Due to the durable surface of the canvas and the resistance of oil paints, the best paintings have been preserved for centuries in private collections, museums and galleries. The Louvre Museum in Paris is one of the places where they are kept, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
2. Universality. They are suitable for the interior of different types of premises: home, hotel, store, restaurant, office, etc. It can also be a gift to loved ones, acquaintances. Such a present will be a pleasant surprise for a connoisseur of art, and over time will increase in price, acquiring the status of an antique item.
3. Uniqueness. It is impossible to create an identical artwork because of the individual drawing technique and the complex technique of applying paint to the surface with brush strokes in several layers. The most successful copies are still different from the original.

Styles and development coils of modern oil painting

Throughout the history of painting, its various directions have formed, which are still being followed:

1. Realism is a classic depicting objects from the point of view of objective reality, without excessive emotionality and decoration. It appeared in France in 1850, its well-known representatives are Eduard Manet, Ilya Repin.
2. Modernism - conveys a special vision of the artist, deviating from traditions, developed in the period 1860-1970-ies.
3. Impressionism - based on the reflection of the light sensations of the person who paints. It arose in Paris in the 1880s. Claude Monet, Pierre Renoir, Edgar Degas created artworks in this style.
4. Abstract art - colorful paintings that illustrate the object not directly, but through its interpretation. The well-known abstractionist is Pablo Picasso.
5. Expressionism - reflects the emotional state of the author in an abstract form or is intended to evoke certain emotions in the viewer. Appeared at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, became popular thanks to Amedeo Modigliani, Vincent Van Gogh, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

Price and places of sale of contemporary oil paintings

The cost depends on the name of the author, the amount of materials spent, size, belonging to antiques and other factors.
Previously, works of art were sold only at exhibitions and auctions. Today you can buy online an oil painting in any city of the Ukraine or in any part of the world. The best way to acquire a unique and original artwork of modern and emerging Ukrainian artists is to visit online KyivGallery, where there are a variety of oil paintings on canvas that will decorate your home, replenish the collection of your favorite paintings and bring aesthetic pleasure.