Intriguing Past Of Oil Paintings Of Old
When people think of art and culture, they often think of museums and art galleries. These are highly anticipated stops on any European tourist trip. Most people aren’t aware of the long history that oil paintings as artworks have had.
The art form of using a medium such as oil to make art is based on how the paints are made. A natural resin would be mixed with oil, and pigment would then be added. The oil was chosen from walnuts, safflower or even poppy seeds. If a resin like frankincense was chosen for the oils, they would come out as a varnish, having high and valuable gloss and body.
When people look back through the history of oil painting, they usually settle on the 15th century as where it originated. In truth, Indian and Chinese painters were using this type of paint as far back as the fifth through ninth centuries. There is also an important treatise written by Theophilus Presbyter dated in 1125 all about how to use oil based paints.
During the 15th century when oil painting became popular in European countries, most pictures were of three types. There were the illustrious supernatural images taken from mythology or the bible, such as the Rape of Europa and the Raising of the Cross. Famous kings and queens appreciated portrait work and would often hire an artist to be in residence at court. Painters also enjoyed capturing common people, such as the picture The Blue Boy or another called Bust of an Old Man with Helmet.
One of the most famous oil paintings in existence is that of the Mona Lisa. Surrounded by mystery for hundreds of years, the painting was finally considered finished by Leonardo da Vinci just before his death in 1525. A margin note found in 2005 correctly identifies the sitter as Lisa del Giocondo, for whom the picture was painted in celebration of the birth of her second son and her family’s acquisition of a new home.
Looking on the Mona Lisa, people always call her beautiful. However it’s also true that she is not an orthodox type of beauty, not even in comparison to women of the era of the painting. The reality is that da Vinci was an honest painter who was true to his subject matter. People thought that the sitter had plucked out her eyelashes and eyebrows as many women of the time did, but in truth a closer look has revealed that these were once evident on the painting. It’s likely that over cleaning has since wiped them off.
This infamous painting was stolen in 1911 from its location in the Louvre. An employee of the time walked out with it simply tucked under his coat, and the painting was taken to its homeland of Italy. The man always intended that it be shown there but the painting was returned two years later and he served six months for his crime. He was considered a patriotic hero by his people for his actions.
Once upon a time, paints couldn’t be taken very far from the artist’s studio because they had to be made by the artist on the spot. Making great artworks in those days was hard, and paints weren’t water soluble and required patience. Nowadays, people do not take this effort for granted by any means. The oil paintings of old are looked upon with great gratitude and appreciation.
To find out everything about Oil paintings, visit Arold Augustin’s website at http://www.great-artworks.com.
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