Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium
of drying oil. Commonly used drying oils include linseed oil, poppy seed oil, walnut
oil, and safflower oil. Different oils confer various properties to the oil paint,
such as less yellowing or different drying times. Certain differences are also visible
in the sheen of the paints depending on the oil. An artist might use several different
oils in the same painting depending on specific pigments and effects desired. The
paints themselves also develop a particular consistency depending on the medium.
The oil may be boiled with a resin, such as pine resin or frankincense to create
a varnish; often prized for its body and gloss.
Although oil paint was first used for the Buddhist paintings by Indian and Chinese
painters in western Afghanistan sometime between the fifth and tenth centuries, [1]
it did not gain popularity until the 15th century. Its practice may have migrated
westward during the Middle Ages. Oil paint eventually became the principal medium
used for creating artworks as its advantages became widely known. The transition
began with Early Netherlandish painting in Northern Europe and by the height of the
Renaissance oil painting techniques had almost completely replaced tempera paints
in the majority of Europe.
In recent years, water miscible oil paint has come to prominence, to some extent
replacing the usage of traditional oils. Water soluble paints contain an emulsifier
which allows them to be thinned with water (rather than with paint thinner), and
allows very fast drying times (1–3 days) when compared with traditional oils (1–3
weeks).
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