Editing Oil paint (section)

==History==

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. Incorrect theories and information are common, especially in sources written before 1952.<ref>Coremans, Gettens, Thissen, La technique des Primitifs flamands, ''Studies in Conservation'' 1 (1952)</ref> Until 1991 nothing was known about the organic aspect of cave paintings from the [[Paleolithic]] era. Many assumptions were made about the ''chemistry'' of the binders. Well-known Dutch-American artist [[Willem de Kooning]] is known for saying "Flesh is the reason oil paint was invented".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artcritical.com/2018/07/13/david-carrier-on-chaim-soutine/|title="Flesh is the reason oil paint was invented": Chaim Soutine at the Jewish Museum|date=13 July 2018}}</ref>

===First recorded use===
The oldest known oil paintings are Buddhist murals created {{Circa|650 AD}}. The works are located in cave-like rooms carved from the cliffs of Afghanistan's [[Bamiyan Valley]], "using walnut, poppy seed oils, Linseed oil and castor oil."<ref>[http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/02/19/oldest-oil-painting.html "Oldest Oil Paintings Found in Afghanistan"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603234713/http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/02/19/oldest-oil-painting.html |date=June 3, 2011 }}, Rosella Lorenzi, Discovery News. Feb. 19, 2008.</ref> In some regions, this technique is referred to as the [[drying oil]] technique.

===Classical and medieval period===
Though the ancient Mediterranean civilizations of [[Ancient Greece|Greece]], [[Ancient Rome|Rome]], and [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] used [[Vegetable fats and oils|vegetable oils]], there is little evidence to indicate their use as [[Media (arts)|media]] in painting. Indeed, [[linseed oil]] was not used as a medium because of its tendency to dry very slowly, darken, and crack, unlike [[Mastic (plant resin)|mastic]] and [[wax]] (the latter of which was used in [[encaustic painting]]).

Greek writers such as [[Aetius Amidenus]] recorded recipes involving the use of [[drying oil|oils for drying]], such as [[walnut oil|walnut]], [[poppyseed oil|poppy]], [[hemp oil|hempseed]], [[pine nut oil|pine nut]], [[castor oil|castor]], and linseed. When thickened, the oils became resinous and could be used as [[varnish]] to seal and protect paintings from water. Additionally, when yellow [[pigment]] was added to oil, it could be spread over [[tin foil]] as a less expensive alternative to [[gold leaf]].

Christian [[monk]]s were aware of these ancient books and used the techniques in their own artworks. [[Theophilus Presbyter]], a 12th-century German monk, recommended linseed oil but advocated against the use of [[olive oil]] 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.

In the 13th century, oil was used to detail [[tempera]] paintings. In the 14th century, [[Cennino Cennini]] described a painting technique utilizing [[Egg tempera|tempera painting]] covered by light layers of oil.  The slow-drying properties of [[oil|organic oils]] 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<ref>[[Theophilus Presbyter]] Book I ch. 25</ref>).

===Renaissance onwards===
As the public preference for naturalism increased, the quick-drying [[tempera]] paints became insufficient to achieve the very detailed and precise effects that oil could achieve. The [[Early Netherlandish painting]] of the 15th century saw the rise of [[panel painting]] purely in oils, or [[oil painting]], or works combining tempera and oil painting, and by the 16th-century easel painting in pure oils had become the norm. The claim by [[Vasari]] that [[Jan van Eyck]] "invented" oil painting is not correct, but van Eyck's ''use'' of oil paint achieved novel results in terms of precise detail and mixing colors [[wet-on-wet]]. Van Eyck's mixture may have consisted of piled glass, [[calcination|calcined]] bones, and mineral pigments boiled in linseed oil until they reached a [[viscous]] state—or he may have simply used sun-thickened oils (slightly oxidized by Sun exposure){{cn|date=November 2024}}.

The Flemish-trained or influenced [[Antonello da Messina]], whom Vasari wrongly credited with the introduction of oil paint to Italy,<ref>{{cite book|title=Antonello da Messina, Sicily's Renaissance Master|author=Barbera, Giocchino|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art Yale University Press |location=New York|year=2005|type=exhibition catalogue}} {{ISBN|0-300-11648-9}} [http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/51392 (online)], p. 14</ref> does seem to have improved the formula by adding [[litharge]], 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 ''oglio cotto''—"cooked oil." [[Leonardo da Vinci]] later improved these techniques by cooking the mixture at a very low temperature and adding 5 to 10% [[beeswax]], which prevented the darkening of the paint. [[Giorgione]], [[Titian]], and [[Tintoretto]] each may have altered this recipe for their own purposes.

===Paint tube===
[[File:Tubes of paint, artist's paint PNG.png|thumb|200px|right|alt=A top view of variously colored tubes of paint.|Tubes of various colors.]]
The paint tube was invented in 1841 by the portrait painter [[John Goffe Rand]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Hurt|first=Perry|title=Never Underestimate the Power of a Paint Tube|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Never-Underestimate-the-Power-of-a-Paint-Tube-204116801.html|work=Smithsonian Magazine|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|access-date=18 May 2013}}</ref>  superseding [[pig bladder]]s and glass syringes<ref>Callen, Anthea. ''The Art of Impressionism: How Impressionism Changed the Art World''. Yale University Press. 2000.</ref> 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 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.

Paint in tubes also changed the way some artists approached painting. The artist [[Renoir|Pierre-Auguste Renoir]] said, "Without tubes of paint, there would have been no [[impressionism]]." For the impressionists, tubed paints offered an easily accessible variety of colors for their [[en plein air|plein air]] palettes, motivating them to make spontaneous color choices.