Subscribe to our newsletter. Oil painting developed in Europe in the late Middle Ages and traditionally Jan Van Eyck is credited with its invention.
Oil paint consists of pigment, or colored powders, ground in oil that dries on exposure to air.
The oil is usually linseed but may be poppy or walnut oils. The resulting stiff, creamy paste is packaged in flexible tubes. Painting surfaces are supports, either wood or linen, cotton, or jute canvas stretched on a frame or glued to a board. Traditionally, oil painting proceeds in stages. The design is sketched on the prepared painting surface in pencil, charcoal, or paint diluted with turpentine.