This skilful exploration immortalises emotion. Oil portraiture encompasses a complex interplay. That involves anatomical accuracy, nuanced lighting, rich colour palettes, varied textures, sophisticated brushwork, and the conveyance of individual personality traits.
Oil painting
In the 7th century, central Asian Buddhists mixed oil with pigment, to create durable murals. By the 15th century, northern European painters, such as Jan van Eyck and Robert Campin, pioneered practical oil painting techniques for use on panels and canvas. In the 17th century, oil painting became dominant in European fine art, with artists like Rembrandt and Vermeer utilising its the versatility. In the mid 19th century, John Goffe Rand invented the paint tube. This made pre-mixed oil paint portable, durable, and instantly usable. That innovation enabled the rise of plein air painting and Impressionism.
This history is of a dialogue between material properties and artistic ambition. Colour, light, and texture come together in a durable, expressive medium. Mastery requires understanding materials, surface preparation, paint handling, and finishing.
The oil paint is a workable paste of pigments suspended in a drying oil, typically linseed. A medium—such as linseed oil, stand oil, or turpentine—influences the texture, drying time, or appearance of the paint. Turpentine is a solvent; it creates a fluid application, and speeds up drying. Linseed oil increases gloss, enhances colour saturation, and improves workability. Stand oil creates a smooth finish, and slows drying time.
Oil paints' slow drying and fluid consistency are good for blending and smooth transitions. They depict light and shadow. High pigment concentration provides rich, intense colours.
Versatility in layering stems from techniques like glazing, scumbling, and impasto. They build depth, texture, and luminosity. Glazing applies thin, transparent layers with oil mediums over a dried underpainting. Glazes transmit light, producing luminous colour depth and subtle optical blending. Scumble applies a thin, relatively opaque layer of paint over a dried surface. Because the coating is broken or uneven, bits of the underlayer show through. Impasto applies thicker, less fluid paint with a brush or palette knife. This builds texture and relief.
Oil paint's durability contributes to artwork preservation.
Requirements
This is an inventory of materials needed for oil painting:
- oil paints of a dozen colours;
- flat, round, and filbert brushes;
- an easel;
- a palette;
- small, medium, and large canvases;
- linseed oil;
- solvent for thinning and turpentine for painting; and
- lint-free paper towel and soft, absorbent rags.