Learn about oil paintings and the meaning of oil paintings

The birth of oil paint

Since ancient times, when people started to draw, people deliberately searched for good materials to paint and look forward to having beautiful and sustainable colors. Since ancient times, people have used colors mixed with oil to paint, but the material is still very primitive, there are many drawbacks and limitations. Over time, many generations of painters have worked hard to find materials, to make self-made paint. But it was not until the time when the artist Van Eyck (about 1390 - 1441) that they had great success in perfecting and developing the technique of painting oil painting materials. Oil painting colors up to this period were clearer, brighter, more beautiful, waterproof, durable and with the test of time. Since then, oil paint is widely used, commonly used in most countries around the world. It can be said that the improvement of oil painting is a great technical revolution, transforming and improving painting art.

Oil painting painted Buddha

What is oil painting?

English oil painting is Oil painting. The most popular and popular type of painting, called by the name of the painting material is oil painting. Oil painting is the process of drawing pictures with pigments made from oil paint. Oil paint can be painted on wood, metal, canvas (fabric), ... Oils with different materials will produce oil paints with different properties. Oil painting first appeared in the Buddhist paintings of Indian painters and went to China in the 5th to 10th centuries, but only in the 15th century did the oil painting become popular and distributed. development. Oil painting eventually became a major means for artists to transform into works of art.

Oil painting painted mountain scenery

Traditionally, oil paintings often use brushes to paint, but now, with their specialization and purpose to create more aspects, artists use knives, hard brooms, fly ... to paint. paintings according to their own will. Sometimes mistakes, painters have to shave off the oil paint and start painting again, now "clear oil" is the only thing that can help peel off the oil paint patches, the only detergent with oil paint.

Oil painting painted iridescent fruit trees

Oil paint does not evaporate and is usually dry for 2 weeks, some colors dry within a few days. In general, leaving a dry picture and hanging it on a frame or rolled it up depends on the top layer of oil paint (material, thickness), after drying, it is possible to add a glossy varnish layer to make the picture bright. more beautiful. An oil painting can last for at least 30 years, in good condition, it is preserved for 80 - 100 years.

Pros and cons of oil painting

Advantages of oil paintings

The most outstanding qualities of oil painting are medium, deep, and high color saturation. The gradation of oil paint seems endless. The paint can also move from thin like water to thick as reliefs. While many other painting materials are colorless, cruel and cracked, Van Eyck's oil paintings have survived for six centuries but the colors are still vivid and transparent.

Dry slowly: oil paintings often take a lot of time to dry, so painters will have more time to perfect their work or change details when needed, especially useful in the teaching process. for students.

Blend with other colors: a huge benefit of oil paintings is that it blends well with other paints. If an artist uses oil paint on a certain fabric, he or she can create imaginative and vivid colors.

Lotus picture of five elements

Easy to use while drawing: oil is the simplest means for us to use in the drawing process. In general, creating an oil painting is relatively simple in contrast to the use of other materials such as watercolor or using chalk. Most beginners use oil paint for this reason. The paint does not move or run when drawing on the fabric and this allows you to draw a more accurate picture. In addition, it is easier to repair when using oil paint.

Make better pictures: oil paints often dry very slowly, which gives painters more opportunities to get work done while painting. You have enough time to change certain decisions that you want to make and therefore the oil paintings will be better.

Depth: Oil paint provides a variety of colors and depths of color that make up rich, as they can be layered and blended more freely than other paints, such as watercolor or acrylic color. Sophisticated painters can change the richness or tone of their colors by adding a small amount of other colors.

Disadvantages of oil paintings

Slow drying can be a disadvantage because they are made of small particles of the balanced pigment in a dry oil. Some pigments in paint can be toxic, paint easily damaged in conditions of temperature, moisture mismatch. Although it can be mixed with other colors, the blending ability of the oil paint is relatively poor.