The materials and techniques selected define the forms of visual expression the artist or designer can develop in their work. For this reason we need to look at the media traditionally used in order to understand the context in which visual language evolves. We will do this before we begin to examine the actual styles that have developed historically. Painting and Related Techniques Painting involves applying color to a surface. The colors were traditionally earth pigments which were ground into a fine powder and then mixed with a medium , usually a liquid, so they can be applied to a surface.
Today there are also some artificial compounds used as pigments.
The choice of the medium and the method by which the color is applied have important effects on the characteristics of the finished work, since each medium has its own limitations and potentials. The oldest examples of painting date to more than 20,000 B.C, and can be found in the caves in southern France . The best known of these caves is at Lascaux, although there are many others. These portraits of animals and hunters were probably done with a mixture of minerals such as ochre, with animal fat used as the medium. Rock paintings in this technique can be seen in many parts of the world.