Did The Most Famous Painting In History Were Done With Oil Paint?

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The most famous oil painting I can tell are both done with oil paint. Such as Mona Lisa, Starry Night, The Blue Boy, The Persistence of Memory, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Van Gogh's Irises, No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock etc. Just because of it is a lot easier to paint with oil paints than water paints?

asked Jun 4, 2013 in History

1 Answer

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When the Van Eyck brothers developed oil painting during the Northern Renaissance, they and other artists quickly recognised the qualities which egg tempera didn't have - including the ability to 'glaze' with thin layers to make a piece glow. Also, their work is durable and still existing quite happily.

Or because of flexibility, probably. it dries slower than tempera. I am guessing, but believe watercolor was not really considered a serious medium until recently (past 100 years or so) Like drawing, it was just something you did before beginning the real artwork.

answered Jun 4, 2013